Calculation of AC loss in two-layer superconducting cable with equal currents in the layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erdogan, Muzaffer

2016-12-01

A new method for calculating AC loss of two-layer SC power transmission cables using the commercial software Comsol Multiphysics, relying on the approach of the equal partition of current between the layers is proposed. Applying the method to calculate the AC-loss in a cable composed of two coaxial cylindrical SC tubes, the results are in good agreement with the analytical ones of duoblock model. Applying the method to calculate the AC-losses of a cable composed of a cylindrical copper former, surrounded by two coaxial cylindrical layers of superconducting tapes embedded in an insulating medium with tape-on-tape and tape-on-gap configurations are compared. A good agreement between the duoblock model and the numerical results for the tape-on-gap cable is observed.

Hydrogen dissolution in palladium: A resistometric study under pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magnouche, A.; Fromageau, R.

1984-09-01

The hydrogen solubility in palladium in equilibrium with H2 gas has been measured, between room temperature and 540 °C, using a resistometric method, for pressures ranging between 0.01 and 10 MPa. In these conditions, the experimentally determined values of the solubility and of the dissolution enthalpy exhibit very close agreement with those obtained by other methods (calorimetry, volumetry, etc.), or after electrolytic charging. This good agreement demonstrates the validity of the resistometric method for determination of the solubility of hydrogen in metals.

Agreement between questionnaire and medical records on some health and socioeconomic problems among poisoning cases

PubMed Central

Fathelrahman, Ahmed I

2009-01-01

Background The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the agreement between questionnaire and medical records on some health and socioeconomic problems among poisoning cases. Methods Cross-sectional sample of 100 poisoning cases consecutively admitted to the Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia during the period from September 2003 to February 2004 were studied. Data on health and socioeconomic problems were collected both by self-administered questionnaire and from medical records. Agreement between the two sets of data was assessed by calculating the concordance rate, Kappa (k) and PABAK. McNemar statistic was used to test differences between categories. Results Data collected by questionnaire and medical records showed excellent agreement on the "marital status"; good agreements on "chronic illness", "psychiatric illness", and "previous history of poisoning"; and fair agreements on "at least one health problem", and "boy-girl friends problem". PABAK values suggest better agreements' measures. Conclusion There were excellent to good agreements between questionnaire and medical records on the marital status and most of the health problems and fair to poor agreements on the majority of socioeconomic problems. The implications of those findings were discussed. PMID:19751526

Estimating the R-curve from residual strength data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orange, T. W.

1985-01-01

A method is presented for estimating the crack-extension resistance curve (R-curve) from residual-strength (maximum load against original crack length) data for precracked fracture specimens. The method allows additional information to be inferred from simple test results, and that information can be used to estimate the failure loads of more complicated structures of the same material and thickness. The fundamentals of the R-curve concept are reviewed first. Then the analytical basis for the estimation method is presented. The estimation method has been verified in two ways. Data from the literature (involving several materials and different types of specimens) are used to show that the estimated R-curve is in good agreement with the measured R-curve. A recent predictive blind round-robin program offers a more crucial test. When the actual failure loads are disclosed, the predictions are found to be in good agreement.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nahar, Sultana N., E-mail: nahar@astronomy.ohio-state.edu

The atomic parameters–oscillator strengths, line strengths, radiative decay rates (A), and lifetimes–for fine structure transitions of electric dipole (E1) type for the astrophysically abundant ion Ne IV are presented. The results include 868 fine structure levels with n≤ 10, l≤ 9, and 1/2≤J≤ 19/2 of even and odd parities, and the corresponding 83,767 E1 transitions. The calculations were carried out using the relativistic Breit–Pauli R-matrix method in the close coupling approximation. The transitions have been identified spectroscopically using an algorithm based on quantum defect analysis and other criteria. The calculated energies agree with the 103 observed and identified energies to withinmore » 3% or better for most of the levels. Some larger differences are also noted. The A-values show good to fair agreement with the very limited number of available transitions in the table compiled by NIST, but show very good agreement with the latest published multi-configuration Hartree–Fock calculations. The present transitions should be useful for diagnostics as well as for precise and complete spectral modeling in the soft X-ray to infra-red regions of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. -- Highlights: •The first application of BPRM method for accurate E1 transitions in Ne IV is reported. •Amount of atomic data (n going up to 10) is complete for most practical applications. •The calculated energies are in very good agreement with most observed levels. •Very good agreement of A-values and lifetimes with other relativistic calculations. •The results should provide precise nebular abundances, chemical evolution etc.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Dongbo; Zhao, Jinfeng, E-mail: jinfeng.zhao@tongji.edu.cn; Li, Libing

In this work, we applied a robust and fully air-coupled method to investigate the propagation of the lowest-order antisymmetric Lamb (A{sub 0}) mode in both a stubbed and an air-drilled phononic-crystal (PC) plate. By measuring simply the radiative acoustic waves of A{sub 0} mode close to the plate surface, we observed the band gaps for the stubbed PC plate caused by either the local resonance or the Bragg scattering, in frequency ranges in good agreement with theoretical predictions. We measured then the complete band gap of A{sub 0} mode for the air-drilled PC plate, in good agreement with the bandmore » structures. Finally, we compared the measurements made using the air-coupled method with those obtained by the laser ultrasonic technique.« less

Large scale intercomparison of aerosol trace element analysis by different analytical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bombelka, E.; Richter, F.-W.; Ries, H.; Wätjen, U.

1984-04-01

The general agreement of PIXE analysis with other methods (INAA, XRF, AAS, OES-ICP, and PhAA) is very good based on the analysis of filter pieces taken from 250 aerosol samples. It is better than 5% for Pb and Zn, better than 10% for V, Cr, and Mn, indicating that the accuracy of PIXE analysis can be within 10%. For elements such as Cd and Sb, difficult to analyze by PIXE because of their low mass content in the sample, the agreement is given mainly by the reproducibility of the method (20% to 30%). Similar agreement is found for sulfur, after taking account of the depth distribution of the aerosol in the filter.

Study of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Ray composition using Telescope Array's Middle Drum detector and surface array in hybrid mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, R. U.; Abe, M.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Allen, M.; Anderson, R.; Azuma, R.; Barcikowski, E.; Belz, J. W.; Bergman, D. R.; Blake, S. A.; Cady, R.; Chae, M. J.; Cheon, B. G.; Chiba, J.; Chikawa, M.; Cho, W. R.; Fujii, T.; Fukushima, M.; Goto, T.; Hanlon, W.; Hayashi, Y.; Hayashida, N.; Hibino, K.; Honda, K.; Ikeda, D.; Inoue, N.; Ishii, T.; Ishimori, R.; Ito, H.; Ivanov, D.; Jui, C. C. H.; Kadota, K.; Kakimoto, F.; Kalashev, O.; Kasahara, K.; Kawai, H.; Kawakami, S.; Kawana, S.; Kawata, K.; Kido, E.; Kim, H. B.; Kim, J. H.; Kim, J. H.; Kitamura, S.; Kitamura, Y.; Kuzmin, V.; Kwon, Y. J.; Lan, J.; Lim, S. I.; Lundquist, J. P.; Machida, K.; Martens, K.; Matsuda, T.; Matsuyama, T.; Matthews, J. N.; Minamino, M.; Mukai, Y.; Myers, I.; Nagasawa, K.; Nagataki, S.; Nakamura, T.; Nonaka, T.; Nozato, A.; Ogio, S.; Ogura, J.; Ohnishi, M.; Ohoka, H.; Oki, K.; Okuda, T.; Ono, M.; Oshima, A.; Ozawa, S.; Park, I. H.; Pshirkov, M. S.; Rodriguez, D. C.; Rubtsov, G.; Ryu, D.; Sagawa, H.; Sakurai, N.; Sampson, A. L.; Scott, L. M.; Shah, P. D.; Shibata, F.; Shibata, T.; Shimodaira, H.; Shin, B. K.; Shin, H. S.; Smith, J. D.; Sokolsky, P.; Springer, R. W.; Stokes, B. T.; Stratton, S. R.; Stroman, T.; Suzawa, T.; Takamura, M.; Takeda, M.; Takeishi, R.; Taketa, A.; Takita, M.; Tameda, Y.; Tanaka, H.; Tanaka, K.; Tanaka, M.; Thomas, S. B.; Thomson, G. B.; Tinyakov, P.; Tkachev, I.; Tokuno, H.; Tomida, T.; Troitsky, S.; Tsunesada, Y.; Tsutsumi, K.; Uchihori, Y.; Udo, S.; Urban, F.; Vasiloff, G.; Wong, T.; Yamane, R.; Yamaoka, H.; Yamazaki, K.; Yang, J.; Yashiro, K.; Yoneda, Y.; Yoshida, S.; Yoshii, H.; Zollinger, R.; Zundel, Z.

2015-04-01

Previous measurements of the composition of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) made by the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) and Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO) are seemingly contradictory, but utilize different detection methods, as HiRes was a stereo detector and PAO is a hybrid detector. The five year Telescope Array (TA) Middle Drum hybrid composition measurement is similar in some, but not all, respects in methodology to PAO, and good agreement is evident between data and a light, largely protonic, composition when comparing the measurements to predictions obtained with the QGSJetII-03 and QGSJet-01c models. These models are also in agreement with previous HiRes stereo measurements, confirming the equivalence of the stereo and hybrid methods. The data is incompatible with a pure iron composition, for all models examined, over the available range of energies. The elongation rate and mean values of Xmax are in good agreement with Pierre Auger Observatory data. This analysis is presented using two methods: data cuts using simple geometrical variables and a new pattern recognition technique.

A method for the estimate of the wall diffusion for non-axisymmetric fields using rotating external fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frassinetti, L.; Olofsson, K. E. J.; Fridström, R.; Setiadi, A. C.; Brunsell, P. R.; Volpe, F. A.; Drake, J.

2013-08-01

A new method for the estimate of the wall diffusion time of non-axisymmetric fields is developed. The method based on rotating external fields and on the measurement of the wall frequency response is developed and tested in EXTRAP T2R. The method allows the experimental estimate of the wall diffusion time for each Fourier harmonic and the estimate of the wall diffusion toroidal asymmetries. The method intrinsically considers the effects of three-dimensional structures and of the shell gaps. Far from the gaps, experimental results are in good agreement with the diffusion time estimated with a simple cylindrical model that assumes a homogeneous wall. The method is also applied with non-standard configurations of the coil array, in order to mimic tokamak-relevant settings with a partial wall coverage and active coils of large toroidal extent. The comparison with the full coverage results shows good agreement if the effects of the relevant sidebands are considered.

Noise Computation of a Shock-Containing Supersonic Axisymmetric Jet by the CE/SE Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loh, Ching Y.; Hultgren, Lennart S.; Chang, Sin-Chung; Jorgenson, Philip C. E.

1999-01-01

The space-time conservation element solution element (CE/SE) method is employed to numerically study the near-field of a typical under-expanded jet. For the computed case-a circular jet with Mach number M(j) = 1.19-the shock-cell structure is in good agreement with experimental results. The computed noise field is in general agreement with the experiment, although further work is needed to properly close the screech feedback loop.

Forest Herbicide Washoff From Foliar Applications

Treesearch

J.L. Michael; Kevin L. Talley; H.C. Fishburn

1992-01-01

Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to develop and test methods for determining washoff of foliar applied herbicides typically used in forestry in the South.Preliminary results show good agreement between results of laboratory methods used and observations from field experiments on actual precipitation events. Methods included application of...

Comparison of analytical methods for the determination of histamine in reference canned fish samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jakšić, S.; Baloš, M. Ž.; Mihaljev, Ž.; Prodanov Radulović, J.; Nešić, K.

2017-09-01

Two screening methods for histamine in canned fish, an enzymatic test and a competitive direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CD-ELISA), were compared with the reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) standard method. For enzymatic and CD-ELISA methods, determination was conducted according to producers’ manuals. For RP-HPLC, histamine was derivatized with dansyl-chloride, followed by RP-HPLC and diode array detection. Results of analysis of canned fish, supplied as reference samples for proficiency testing, showed good agreement when histamine was present at higher concentrations (above 100 mg kg-1). At a lower level (16.95 mg kg-1), the enzymatic test produced some higher results. Generally, analysis of four reference samples according to CD-ELISA and RP-HPLC showed good agreement for histamine determination (r=0.977 in concentration range 16.95-216 mg kg-1) The results show that the applied enzymatic test and CD-ELISA appeared to be suitable screening methods for the determination of histamine in canned fish.

Manual versus Automated Carotid Artery Plaque Component Segmentation in High and Lower Quality 3.0 Tesla MRI Scans

PubMed Central

Smits, Loek P.; van Wijk, Diederik F.; Duivenvoorden, Raphael; Xu, Dongxiang; Yuan, Chun; Stroes, Erik S.; Nederveen, Aart J.

2016-01-01

Purpose To study the interscan reproducibility of manual versus automated segmentation of carotid artery plaque components, and the agreement between both methods, in high and lower quality MRI scans. Methods 24 patients with 30–70% carotid artery stenosis were planned for 3T carotid MRI, followed by a rescan within 1 month. A multicontrast protocol (T1w,T2w, PDw and TOF sequences) was used. After co-registration and delineation of the lumen and outer wall, segmentation of plaque components (lipid-rich necrotic cores (LRNC) and calcifications) was performed both manually and automated. Scan quality was assessed using a visual quality scale. Results Agreement for the detection of LRNC (Cohen’s kappa (k) is 0.04) and calcification (k = 0.41) between both manual and automated segmentation methods was poor. In the high-quality scans (visual quality score ≥ 3), the agreement between manual and automated segmentation increased to k = 0.55 and k = 0.58 for, respectively, the detection of LRNC and calcification larger than 1 mm2. Both manual and automated analysis showed good interscan reproducibility for the quantification of LRNC (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.94 and 0.80 respectively) and calcified plaque area (ICC of 0.95 and 0.77, respectively). Conclusion Agreement between manual and automated segmentation of LRNC and calcifications was poor, despite a good interscan reproducibility of both methods. The agreement between both methods increased to moderate in high quality scans. These findings indicate that image quality is a critical determinant of the performance of both manual and automated segmentation of carotid artery plaque components. PMID:27930665

Application of Rapid Prototyping Methods to High-Speed Wind Tunnel Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Springer, A. M.

1998-01-01

This study was undertaken in MSFC's 14-Inch Trisonic Wind Tunnel to determine if rapid prototyping methods could be used in the design and manufacturing of high speed wind tunnel models in direct testing applications, and if these methods would reduce model design/fabrication time and cost while providing models of high enough fidelity to provide adequate aerodynamic data, and of sufficient strength to survive the test environment. Rapid prototyping methods utilized to construct wind tunnel models in a wing-body-tail configuration were: fused deposition method using both ABS plastic and PEEK as building materials, stereolithography using the photopolymer SL-5170, selective laser sintering using glass reinforced nylon, and laminated object manufacturing using plastic reinforced with glass and 'paper'. This study revealed good agreement between the SLA model, the metal model with an FDM-ABS nose, an SLA nose, and the metal model for most operating conditions, while the FDM-ABS data diverged at higher loading conditions. Data from the initial SLS model showed poor agreement due to problems in post-processing, resulting in a different configuration. A second SLS model was tested and showed relatively good agreement. It can be concluded that rapid prototyping models show promise in preliminary aerodynamic development studies at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic speeds.

Agreement of Tracing and Direct Viewing Techniques for Cervical Vertebral Maturation Assessment.

PubMed

Wiwatworakul, Opas; Manosudprasit, Montian; Pisek, Poonsak; Chatrchaiwiwatana, Supaporn; Wangsrimongkol, Tasanee

2015-08-01

This study aimed to evaluate agreement among three methods for cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) assessment, comprising direct viewing, tracing only, and tracing with digitized points. Two examiners received training and tests of reliability with each CVM method before evaluation of agreement among methods. The subjects were 96 female-cleft lateral cephalometric radiographs (films of eight subjects for each age ranged from seven to 18 years). The examiners interpreted CVM stages of the subjects with four-week interval between uses of each method. The range of weighted kappa values for paired comparisons among the three methods were: 0.96-0.98 for direct viewing and tracing only comparison; 0.93-0.94 for direct viewing and tracing with digitized points comparison; and 0.96-0.97 for tracing only and tracing with digitized points comparison. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) value among the three methods was 0.95. These results indicated very good agreement among methods. Use of direct viewing is suitable for CVM assessment without spending more time for tracing. However, the three methods might be used interchangeably.

Comparison of diffusion- and pumped-sampling methods to monitor volatile organic compounds in ground water, Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, July 1999-December 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Archfield, Stacey A.; LeBlanc, Denis R.

2005-01-01

To evaluate diffusion sampling as an alternative method to monitor volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations in ground water, concentrations in samples collected by traditional pumped-sampling methods were compared to concentrations in samples collected by diffusion-sampling methods for 89 monitoring wells at or near the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod. Samples were analyzed for 36 VOCs. There was no substantial difference between the utility of diffusion and pumped samples to detect the presence or absence of a VOC. In wells where VOCs were detected, diffusion-sample concentrations of tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) were significantly lower than pumped-sample concentrations. Because PCE and TCE concentrations detected in the wells dominated the calculation of many of the total VOC concentrations, when VOC concentrations were summed and compared by sampling method, visual inspection also showed a downward concentration bias in the diffusion-sample concentration. The degree to which pumped- and diffusion-sample concentrations agreed was not a result of variability inherent within the sampling methods or the diffusion process itself. A comparison of the degree of agreement in the results from the two methods to 13 quantifiable characteristics external to the sampling methods offered only well-screen length as being related to the degree of agreement between the methods; however, there is also evidence to indicate that the flushing rate of water through the well screen affected the agreement between the sampling methods. Despite poor agreement between the concentrations obtained by the two methods at some wells, the degree to which the concentrations agree at a given well is repeatable. A one-time, well-bywell comparison between diffusion- and pumped-sampling methods could determine which wells are good candidates for the use of diffusion samplers. For wells with good method agreement, the diffusion-sampling method is a time-saving and cost-effective alternative to pumped-sampling methods in a long-term monitoring program, such as at the Massachusetts Military Reservation.

Shape sensitivity analysis of flutter response of a laminated wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bergen, Fred D.; Kapania, Rakesh K.

1988-01-01

A method is presented for calculating the shape sensitivity of a wing aeroelastic response with respect to changes in geometric shape. Yates' modified strip method is used in conjunction with Giles' equivalent plate analysis to predict the flutter speed, frequency, and reduced frequency of the wing. Three methods are used to calculate the sensitivity of the eigenvalue. The first method is purely a finite difference calculation of the eigenvalue derivative directly from the solution of the flutter problem corresponding to the two different values of the shape parameters. The second method uses an analytic expression for the eigenvalue sensitivities of a general complex matrix, where the derivatives of the aerodynamic, mass, and stiffness matrices are computed using a finite difference approximation. The third method also uses an analytic expression for the eigenvalue sensitivities, but the aerodynamic matrix is computed analytically. All three methods are found to be in good agreement with each other. The sensitivities of the eigenvalues were used to predict the flutter speed, frequency, and reduced frequency. These approximations were found to be in good agreement with those obtained using a complete reanalysis.

12 CFR 269.3 - Recognition of a labor organization and its relationship to a Federal Reserve Bank.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... employees in an appropriate unit, it shall be entitled to act for and to negotiate agreements in good faith... organization to negotiate, in good faith, with respect to personnel policies and practices affecting working... the determination of work methods; the right to contract out; the determination as to manpower...

Extension and Validation of a Hybrid Particle-Finite Element Method for Hypervelocity Impact Simulation. Chapter 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fahrenthold, Eric P.; Shivarama, Ravishankar

2004-01-01

The hybrid particle-finite element method of Fahrenthold and Horban, developed for the simulation of hypervelocity impact problems, has been extended to include new formulations of the particle-element kinematics, additional constitutive models, and an improved numerical implementation. The extended formulation has been validated in three dimensional simulations of published impact experiments. The test cases demonstrate good agreement with experiment, good parallel speedup, and numerical convergence of the simulation results.

Rule-based exposure assessment versus case-by-case expert assessment using the same information in a community-based study.

PubMed

Peters, Susan; Glass, Deborah C; Milne, Elizabeth; Fritschi, Lin

2014-03-01

Retrospective exposure assessment in community-based studies is largely reliant on questionnaire information. Expert assessment is often used to assess lifetime occupational exposures, but these assessments generally lack transparency and are very time-consuming. We explored the agreement between a rule-based assessment approach and case-by-case expert assessment of occupational exposures in a community-based study. We used data from a case-control study of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in which parental occupational exposures were originally assigned by expert assessment. Key questions were identified from the completed parent questionnaires and, on the basis of these, rules were written to assign exposure levels to diesel exhaust, pesticides and solvents. We estimated exposure prevalence separately for fathers and mothers, and used κ statistics to assess the agreement between the two exposure assessment methods. Exposures were assigned to 5829 jobs among 1079 men and 6189 jobs among 1234 women. For both sexes, agreement was good for the two assessment methods of exposure to diesel exhaust at a job level (κ=0.70 for men and κ=0.71 for women) and at a person level (κ=0.74 and κ=0.75). The agreement was good to excellent for pesticide exposure among men (κ=0.74 for jobs and κ=0.84 at a person level) and women (κ=0.68 and κ=0.71 at a job and person level, respectively). Moderate to good agreement was observed for assessment of solvent exposure, which was better for women than men. The rule-based assessment approach appeared to be an efficient alternative for assigning occupational exposures in a community-based study for a selection of occupational exposures.

Radiation damage buildup by athermal defect reactions in nickel and concentrated nickel alloys

DOE PAGES

Zhang, S.; Nordlund, K.; Djurabekova, F.; ...

2017-04-12

We develop a new method using binary collision approximation simulating the Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in channeling conditions (RBS/C) from molecular dynamics atom coordinates of irradiated cells. The approach allows comparing experimental and simulated RBS/C signals as a function of depth without fitting parameters. The simulated RBS/C spectra of irradiated Ni and concentrated solid solution alloys (CSAs, NiFe and NiCoCr) show a good agreement with the experimental results. The good agreement indicates the damage evolution under damage overlap conditions in Ni and CSAs at room temperature is dominated by defect recombination and migration induced by irradiation rather than activated thermally.

Optical spectrum of proflavine and its ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonaca, A.; Bilalbegović, G.

2010-06-01

Motivated by possible astrophysical and biological applications we calculate visible and near UV spectral lines of proflavine (C13H11N3, 3,6-diaminoacridine) in vacuum, as well as its anion, cation, and dication. The pseudopotential density functional and time-dependent density functional methods are used. We find a good agreement in spectral line positions calculated by two real-time propagation methods and the Lanczos chain method. Spectra of proflavine and its ions show characteristic UV lines which are good candidates for a detection of these molecules in interstellar space and various biological processes.

Evaluation of Gas-filled Ionization Chamber Method for Radon Measurement at Two Reference Facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ishikawa, Tetsuo; Tokonami, Shinji; Kobayashi, Yosuke

2008-08-07

For quality assurance, gas-filled ionization chamber method was tested at two reference facilities for radon calibration: EML (USA) and PTB (Germany). Consequently, the radon concentrations estimated by the ionization chamber method were in good agreement with the reference radon concentrations provided by EML as well as PTB.

Evaluation of Grid Modification Methods for On- and Off-Track Sonic Boom Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nayani, Sudheer N.; Campbell, Richard L.

2013-01-01

Grid modification methods have been under development at NASA to enable better predictions of low boom pressure signatures from supersonic aircraft. As part of this effort, two new codes, Stretched and Sheared Grid - Modified (SSG) and Boom Grid (BG), have been developed in the past year. The CFD results from these codes have been compared with ones from the earlier grid modification codes Stretched and Sheared Grid (SSGRID) and Mach Cone Aligned Prism (MCAP) and also with the available experimental results. NASA's unstructured grid suite of software TetrUSS and the automatic sourcing code AUTOSRC were used for base grid generation and flow solutions. The BG method has been evaluated on three wind tunnel models. Pressure signatures have been obtained up to two body lengths below a Gulfstream aircraft wind tunnel model. Good agreement with the wind tunnel results have been obtained for both on-track and off-track (up to 53 degrees) cases. On-track pressure signatures up to ten body lengths below a Straight Line Segmented Leading Edge (SLSLE) wind tunnel model have been extracted. Good agreement with the wind tunnel results have been obtained. Pressure signatures have been obtained at 1.5 body lengths below a Lockheed Martin aircraft wind tunnel model. Good agreement with the wind tunnel results have been obtained for both on-track and off-track (up to 40 degrees) cases. Grid sensitivity studies have been carried out to investigate any grid size related issues. Methods have been evaluated for fully turbulent, mixed laminar/turbulent and fully laminar flow conditions.

Assessment of narrow angles by gonioscopy, Van Herick method and anterior segment optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Park, Seong Bae; Sung, Kyung Rim; Kang, Sung Yung; Jo, Jung Woo; Lee, Kyoung Sub; Kook, Michael S

2011-07-01

To evaluate anterior chamber (AC) angles using gonioscopy, Van Herick technique and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). One hundred forty-eight consecutive subjects were enrolled. The agreement between any two of three diagnostic methods, gonioscopy, AS-OCT and Van Herick, was calculated in narrow-angle patients. The area under receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUC) for discriminating between narrow and open angles determined by gonioscopy was calculated in all participants for AS-OCT parameter angle opening distance (AOD), angle recess area, trabecular iris surface area and anterior chamber depth (ACD). As a subgroup analysis, capability of AS-OCT parameters for detecting angle closure defined by AS-OCT was assessed in narrow-angle patients. The agreement between the Van Herick method and gonioscopy in detecting angle closure was excellent in narrow angles (κ = 0.80, temporal; κ = 0.82, nasal). However, agreement between gonioscopy and AS-OCT and between the Van Herick method and AS-OCT was poor (κ = 0.11-0.16). Discrimination capability of AS-OCT parameters between open and narrow angles determined by gonioscopy was excellent for all AS-OCT parameters (AUC, temporal: AOD500 = 0.96, nasal: AOD500 = 0.99). The AUCs for detecting angle closure defined by AS-OCT image in narrow angle subjects was good for all AS-OCT parameters (AUC, 0.80-0.94) except for ACD (temporal: ACD = 0.70, nasal: ACD = 0.63). Assessment of narrow angles by gonioscopy and the Van Herick technique showed good agreement, but both measurements revealed poor agreement with AS-OCT. The angle closure detection capability of AS-OCT parameters was excellent; however, it was slightly lower in ACD.

Recent advances in PDF modeling of turbulent reacting flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leonard, Andrew D.; Dai, F.

1995-01-01

This viewgraph presentation concludes that a Monte Carlo probability density function (PDF) solution successfully couples with an existing finite volume code; PDF solution method applied to turbulent reacting flows shows good agreement with data; and PDF methods must be run on parallel machines for practical use.

Comparison of McMaster and FECPAKG2 methods for counting nematode eggs in the faeces of alpacas.

PubMed

Rashid, Mohammed H; Stevenson, Mark A; Waenga, Shea; Mirams, Greg; Campbell, Angus J D; Vaughan, Jane L; Jabbar, Abdul

2018-05-02

This study aimed to compare the FECPAK G2 and the McMaster techniques for counting of gastrointestinal nematode eggs in the faeces of alpacas using two floatation solutions (saturated sodium chloride and sucrose solutions). Faecal eggs counts from both techniques were compared using the Lin's concordance correlation coefficient and Bland and Altman statistics. Results showed moderate to good agreement between the two methods, with better agreement achieved when saturated sugar is used as a floatation fluid, particularly when faecal egg counts are less than 1000 eggs per gram of faeces. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to assess agreement of measurements between McMaster and FECPAK G2 methods for estimating faecal eggs in South American camelids.

Radiographical measurements for distal intra-articular fractures of the radius using plain radiographs and cone beam computed tomography images.

PubMed

Suojärvi, Nora; Sillat, T; Lindfors, N; Koskinen, S K

2015-12-01

Operative treatment of an intra-articular distal radius fracture is one of the most common procedures in orthopedic and hand surgery. The intra- and interobserver agreement of common radiographical measurements of these fractures using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and plain radiographs were evaluated. Thirty-seven patients undergoing open reduction and volar fixation for a distal radius fracture were studied. Two radiologists analyzed the preoperative radiographs and CBCT images. Agreement of the measurements was subjected to intra-class correlation coefficient and the Bland-Altman analyses. Plain radiographs provided a slightly poorer level of agreement. For fracture diastasis, excellent intraobserver agreement was achieved for radiographs and good or excellent agreement for CBCT, compared to poor interobserver agreement (ICC 0.334) for radiographs and good interobserver agreement (ICC 0.621) for CBCT images. The Bland-Altman analyses indicated a small mean difference between the measurements but rather large variation using both imaging methods, especially in angular measurements. For most of the measurements, radiographs do well, and may be used in clinical practice. Two different measurements by the same reader or by two different readers can lead to different decisions, and therefore a standardization of the measurements is imperative. More detailed analysis of articular surface needs cross-sectional imaging modalities.

Torso geometry reconstruction and body surface electrode localization using three-dimensional photography.

PubMed

Perez-Alday, Erick A; Thomas, Jason A; Kabir, Muammar; Sedaghat, Golriz; Rogovoy, Nichole; van Dam, Eelco; van Dam, Peter; Woodward, William; Fuss, Cristina; Ferencik, Maros; Tereshchenko, Larisa G

We conducted a prospective clinical study (n=14; 29% female) to assess the accuracy of a three-dimensional (3D) photography-based method of torso geometry reconstruction and body surface electrodes localization. The position of 74 body surface electrocardiographic (ECG) electrodes (diameter 5mm) was defined by two methods: 3D photography, and CT (marker diameter 2mm) or MRI (marker size 10×20mm) imaging. Bland-Altman analysis showed good agreement in X (bias -2.5 [95% limits of agreement (LoA) -19.5 to 14.3] mm), Y (bias -0.1 [95% LoA -14.1 to 13.9] mm), and Z coordinates (bias -0.8 [95% LoA -15.6 to 14.2] mm), as defined by the CT/MRI imaging, and 3D photography. The average Hausdorff distance between the two torso geometry reconstructions was 11.17±3.05mm. Thus, accurate torso geometry reconstruction using 3D photography is feasible. Body surface ECG electrodes coordinates as defined by the CT/MRI imaging, and 3D photography, are in good agreement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Low-Density Nozzle Flow by the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo and Continuum Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chung, Chang-Hong; Kim, Sku C.; Stubbs, Robert M.; Dewitt, Kenneth J.

1994-01-01

Two different approaches, the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method based on molecular gasdynamics, and a finite-volume approximation of the Navier-Stokes equations, which are based on continuum gasdynamics, are employed in the analysis of a low-density gas flow in a small converging-diverging nozzle. The fluid experiences various kinds of flow regimes including continuum, slip, transition, and free-molecular. Results from the two numerical methods are compared with Rothe's experimental data, in which density and rotational temperature variations along the centerline and at various locations inside a low-density nozzle were measured by the electron-beam fluorescence technique. The continuum approach showed good agreement with the experimental data as far as density is concerned. The results from the DSMC method showed good agreement with the experimental data, both in the density and the rotational temperature. It is also shown that the simulation parameters, such as the gas/surface interaction model, the energy exchange model between rotational and translational modes, and the viscosity-temperature exponent, have substantial effects on the results of the DSMC method.

19 CFR 10.539 - Retail packaging materials and containers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.539 Retail packaging materials and containers. Packaging... requirement. The United States importer of good C decides to use the build-down method, RVC=((AV−VNM)/AV... content requirement. In applying this method, the non-originating blister packages are taken into account...

Numerical solutions to the time-dependent Bloch equations revisited.

PubMed

Murase, Kenya; Tanki, Nobuyoshi

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a simple and fast method for solving the time-dependent Bloch equations. First, the time-dependent Bloch equations were reduced to a homogeneous linear differential equation, and then a simple equation was derived to solve it using a matrix operation. The validity of this method was investigated by comparing with the analytical solutions in the case of constant radiofrequency irradiation. There was a good agreement between them, indicating the validity of this method. As a further example, this method was applied to the time-dependent Bloch equations in the two-pool exchange model for chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) or amide proton transfer (APT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the Z-spectra and asymmetry spectra were calculated from their solutions. They were also calculated using the fourth/fifth-order Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg (RKF) method for comparison. There was also a good agreement between them, and this method was much faster than the RKF method. In conclusion, this method will be useful for analyzing the complex CEST or APT contrast mechanism and/or investigating the optimal conditions for CEST or APT MRI. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electron capture cross sections by O+ from atomic He

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, Dwayne C.; Saha, Bidhan C.

2009-11-01

The adiabatic representation is used in both the quantal and semi classical molecular orbital close coupling methods (MOCC) to evaluate charge exchange cross sections. Our results show good agreement with experimental cross sections

PROBLEM ON IRREGULAR 3-DIMENSIONAL DENSITY DISCONTINUITY SURFACES.

DTIC Science & Technology

method. The result is used to analyze the relation of linear correlation between the crustal thickness and the local Bouguer gravity anomaly, and good agreement is obtained in comparison with the actual statistical data. (Author)

The Thermal Conductivity Measurements of Solid Samples by Heat Flux Differantial Scanning Calorimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kök, M.; Aydoǧdu, Y.

2007-04-01

The thermal conductivity of polyvinylchloride (PVC), polysytrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP) were measured by heat flux DSC. Our results are in good agreement with the results observed by different methods.

Application of the coherent anomaly method to percolation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takayasu, Misako; Takayasu, Hideki

1988-03-01

Applying the coherent anomaly method (CAM) to site percolation problems, we estimate the percolation threshold pc and critical exponents. We obtain pc=0.589, β=0.140, γ=2.426 on the two-dimensional square lattice. These values are in good agreement with the values already known. We also investigate higher-dimensional cases by this method.

Application of the Coherent Anomaly Method to Percolation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takayasu, Misako; Takayasu, Hideki

Applying the coherent anomaly method (CAM) to site percolation problems, we estimate the percolation threshold ϱc and critical exponents. We obtain pc = 0.589, Β=0.140, Γ = 2.426 on the two-dimensional square lattice. These values are in good agreement with the values already known. We also investigate higher-dimensional cases by this method.

Comparison of four morphometric definitions and a semiquantitative consensus reading for assessing prevalent vertebral fractures.

PubMed

Grados, F; Roux, C; de Vernejoul, M C; Utard, G; Sebert, J L; Fardellone, P

2001-01-01

The assessment of vertebral fracture in patients with osteoporosis by conventional radiography has been improved over the past 10 years using either the semiquantitative (SQ) method devised by Genant et al. or quantitative morphometry. However, there is still no internationally agreed definition for vertebral fracture and there have been few comparative studies between these different approaches. Our study assessed the reproducibility of the SQ method and of four commonly used morphometric algorithms (Melton's, Eastell's, Minne's and McCloskey's methods) for assessing prevalent vertebral fractures, and examined the agreement of each morphometric algorithm with a SQ consensus reading performed by three experts. With this consensus reading in place of a gold standard, we determined relative measures of sensitivity, specificity and optimal cutoff threshold for each morphometric algorithm. The study was conducted in 39 postmenopausal women who had at least one osteoporotic vertebral fracture. Normal values were derived from 84 healthy postmenopausal women with apparently normal vertebral bodies. Our results indicate that the concordance of SQ method was excellent (intraobserver agreement on serial radiographs = 96.4%, kappa = 0.91; agreement between individual readings and the consensus reading = 98%, kappa = 0.95). Three morphometric approaches demonstrated good intra- and interobserver concordance (Melton: intraobserver agreement on serial radiographs = 92.7%, kappa = 0.82, interobserver agreement = 91.1%, kappa = 0.79; Eastell: intraobserver agreement on serial radiographs = 87.6%, kappa = 0.66, interobserver agreement = 88.6%, kappa = 0.68; McCloskey: intraobserver agreement on serial radiographs = 91.5%, kappa = 0.72, interobserver agreement = 93.9%, kappa = 0.78). Except for McCloskey's method, the optimal cutoff thresholds defined in our study by highest kappa score or Youden index in comparison with the SQ consensus reading were near the cutoff thresholds that were arbitrarily fixed. The four morphometric algorithms provided a good agreement with the results of the SQ consensus reading, but the more complex algorithm did not provide better results and even if we adjusted the cutoff threshold, no morphometric algorithm agreed perfectly with the SQ consensus reading. We conclude that morphometric approaches currently used should not be employed alone to detect prevalent vertebral fractures in studies on osteoporosis, but should rather be used in combination with a visual assessment. The SQ approach that allows differential diagnosis of vertebral deformities and has demonstrated a better reproducibility can be employed alone when it is performed by experienced and well-trained readers.

Describing Peripancreatic Collections According to the Revised Atlanta Classification of Acute Pancreatitis: An International Interobserver Agreement Study.

PubMed

Bouwense, Stefan A; van Brunschot, Sandra; van Santvoort, Hjalmar C; Besselink, Marc G; Bollen, Thomas L; Bakker, Olaf J; Banks, Peter A; Boermeester, Marja A; Cappendijk, Vincent C; Carter, Ross; Charnley, Richard; van Eijck, Casper H; Freeny, Patrick C; Hermans, John J; Hough, David M; Johnson, Colin D; Laméris, Johan S; Lerch, Markus M; Mayerle, Julia; Mortele, Koenraad J; Sarr, Michael G; Stedman, Brian; Vege, Santhi Swaroop; Werner, Jens; Dijkgraaf, Marcel G; Gooszen, Hein G; Horvath, Karen D

2017-08-01

Severe acute pancreatitis is associated with peripancreatic morphologic changes as seen on imaging. Uniform communication regarding these morphologic findings is crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment. For the original 1992 Atlanta classification, interobserver agreement is poor. We hypothesized that for the revised Atlanta classification, interobserver agreement will be better. An international, interobserver agreement study was performed among expert and nonexpert radiologists (n = 14), surgeons (n = 15), and gastroenterologists (n = 8). Representative computed tomographies of all stages of acute pancreatitis were selected from 55 patients and were assessed according to the revised Atlanta classification. The interobserver agreement was calculated among all reviewers and subgroups, that is, expert and nonexpert reviewers; interobserver agreement was defined as poor (≤0.20), fair (0.21-0.40), moderate (0.41-0.60), good (0.61-0.80), or very good (0.81-1.00). Interobserver agreement among all reviewers was good (0.75 [standard deviation, 0.21]) for describing the type of acute pancreatitis and good (0.62 [standard deviation, 0.19]) for the type of peripancreatic collection. Expert radiologists showed the best and nonexpert clinicians the lowest interobserver agreement. Interobserver agreement was good for the revised Atlanta classification, supporting the importance for widespread adaption of this revised classification for clinical and research communications.

Measurement and analysis of a small nozzle plume in vacuum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penko, P. F.; Boyd, I. D.; Meissner, D. L.; Dewitt, K. J.

1993-01-01

Pitot pressures and flow angles are measured in the plume of a nozzle flowing nitrogen and exhausting to a vacuum. Total pressures are measured with Pitot tubes sized for specific regions of the plume and flow angles measured with a conical probe. The measurement area for total pressure extends 480 mm (16 exit diameters) downstream of the nozzle exit plane and radially to 60 mm (1.9 exit diameters) off the plume axis. The measurement area for flow angle extends to 160 mm (5 exit diameters) downstream and radially to 60 mm. The measurements are compared to results from a numerical simulation of the flow that is based on kinetic theory and uses the direct-simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. Comparisons of computed results from the DSMC method with measurements of flow angle display good agreement in the far-field of the plume and improve with increasing distance from the exit plane. Pitot pressures computed from the DSMC method are in reasonably good agreement with experimental results over the entire measurement area.

Species and temperature predictions in a semi-industrial MILD furnace using a non-adiabatic conditional source-term estimation formulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labahn, Jeffrey William; Devaud, Cecile

2017-05-01

A Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulation of the semi-industrial International Flame Research Foundation (IFRF) furnace is performed using a non-adiabatic Conditional Source-term Estimation (CSE) formulation. This represents the first time that a CSE formulation, which accounts for the effect of radiation on the conditional reaction rates, has been applied to a large scale semi-industrial furnace. The objective of the current study is to assess the capabilities of CSE to accurately reproduce the velocity field, temperature, species concentration and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission for the IFRF furnace. The flow field is solved using the standard k-ε turbulence model and detailed chemistry is included. NOx emissions are calculated using two different methods. Predicted velocity profiles are in good agreement with the experimental data. The predicted peak temperature occurs closer to the centreline, as compared to the experimental observations, suggesting that the mixing between the fuel jet and vitiated air jet may be overestimated. Good agreement between the species concentrations, including NOx, and the experimental data is observed near the burner exit. Farther downstream, the centreline oxygen concentration is found to be underpredicted. Predicted NOx concentrations are in good agreement with experimental data when calculated using the method of Peters and Weber. The current study indicates that RANS-CSE can accurately predict the main characteristics seen in a semi-industrial IFRF furnace.

Accuracy of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography for estimating residual tumor size after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer: a feasibility study

PubMed Central

Barra, Filipe Ramos; de Souza, Fernanda Freire; Camelo, Rosimara Eva Ferreira Almeida; Ribeiro, Andrea Campos de Oliveira; Farage, Luciano

2017-01-01

Objective To assess the feasibility of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) of the breast for assessing the size of residual tumors after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Materials and methods In breast cancer patients who underwent NAC between 2011 and 2013, we evaluated residual tumor measurements obtained with CESM and full-field digital mammography (FFDM). We determined the concordance between the methods, as well as their level of agreement with the pathology. Three radiologists analyzed eight CESM and FFDM measurements separately, considering the size of the residual tumor at its largest diameter and correlating it with that determined in the pathological analysis. Interobserver agreement was also evaluated. Results The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were higher for CESM than for FFDM (83.33%, 100%, 100%, and 66% vs. 50%, 50%, 50%, and 25%, respectively). The CESM measurements showed a strong, consistent correlation with the pathological findings (correlation coefficient = 0.76-0.92; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.692-0.886). The correlation between the FFDM measurements and the pathological findings was not statistically significant, with questionable consistency (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.488-0.598). Agreement with the pathological findings was narrower for CESM measurements than for FFDM measurements. Interobserver agreement was higher for CESM than for FFDM (0.94 vs. 0.88). Conclusion CESM is a feasible means of evaluating residual tumor size after NAC, showing a good correlation and good agreement with pathological findings. For CESM measurements, the interobserver agreement was excellent. PMID:28894329

Test-retest reliability and construct validity of the ENERGY-child questionnaire on energy balance-related behaviours and their potential determinants: the ENERGY-project

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Insight in children's energy balance-related behaviours (EBRBs) and their determinants is important to inform obesity prevention research. Therefore, reliable and valid tools to measure these variables in large-scale population research are needed. Objective To examine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the child questionnaire used in the ENERGY-project, measuring EBRBs and their potential determinants among 10-12 year old children. Methods We collected data among 10-12 year old children (n = 730 in the test-retest reliability study; n = 96 in the construct validity study) in six European countries, i.e. Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and percentage agreement comparing scores from two measurements, administered one week apart. To assess construct validity, the agreement between questionnaire responses and a subsequent face-to-face interview was assessed using ICC and percentage agreement. Results Of the 150 questionnaire items, 115 (77%) showed good to excellent test-retest reliability as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. Test-retest reliability was moderate for 34 items (23%) and poor for one item. Construct validity appeared to be good to excellent for 70 (47%) of the 150 items, as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. From the other 80 items, construct validity was moderate for 39 (26%) and poor for 41 items (27%). Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the ENERGY-child questionnaire, assessing EBRBs of the child as well as personal, family, and school-environmental determinants related to these EBRBs, has good test-retest reliability and moderate to good construct validity for the large majority of items. PMID:22152048

Adaptation and validation of a commercial head phantom for cranial radiosurgery dosimetry end-to-end audit.

PubMed

Dimitriadis, Alexis; Palmer, Antony L; Thomas, Russell A S; Nisbet, Andrew; Clark, Catharine H

2017-06-01

To adapt and validate an anthropomorphic head phantom for use in a cranial radiosurgery audit. Two bespoke inserts were produced for the phantom: one for providing the target and organ at risk for delineation and the other for performing dose measurements. The inserts were tested to assess their positional accuracy. A basic treatment plan dose verification with an ionization chamber was performed to establish a baseline accuracy for the phantom and beam model. The phantom and inserts were then used to perform dose verification measurements of a radiosurgery plan. The dose was measured with alanine pellets, EBT extended dose film and a plastic scintillation detector (PSD). Both inserts showed reproducible positioning (±0.5 mm) and good positional agreement between them (±0.6 mm). The basic treatment plan measurements showed agreement to the treatment planning system (TPS) within 0.5%. Repeated film measurements showed consistent gamma passing rates with good agreement to the TPS. For 2%-2 mm global gamma, the mean passing rate was 96.7% and the variation in passing rates did not exceed 2.1%. The alanine pellets and PSD showed good agreement with the TPS (-0.1% and 0.3% dose difference in the target) and good agreement with each other (within 1%). The adaptations to the phantom showed acceptable accuracies. The presence of alanine and PSD do not affect film measurements significantly, enabling simultaneous measurements by all three detectors. Advances in knowledge: A novel method for thorough end-to-end test of radiosurgery, with capability to incorporate all steps of the clinical pathway in a time-efficient and reproducible manner, suitable for a national audit.

Rate constant for the reaction of atomic chlorine with methane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, C. L.; Leu, M. T.; Demore, W. B.

1978-01-01

The rate constant and temperature dependence of the Cl + CH4 reaction have been investigated by the techniques of competitive chlorination of CH4/C2H6 mixtures and by discharge-flow/mass spectroscopy. The objectives were to determine an accurate value for the rate constant for use in stratospheric modeling, and to clarify discrepancies in results previously obtained by different techniques. The results deduced from the competitive chlorination study are in good agreement with the absolute values measured by the mass spectrometric method, and at temperatures above 300 K are in good agreement with measurements by other techniques based on resonance fluorescence detection of atomic chlorine. However, in the 220-300 K region, the competitive experiments indicate lower rate constants than those obtained by resonance fluorescence methods, and do not reproduce the curved Arrhenius plots seen in some of those studies.

Inter-arch digital model vs. manual cast measurements: Accuracy and reliability.

PubMed

Kiviahde, Heikki; Bukovac, Lea; Jussila, Päivi; Pesonen, Paula; Sipilä, Kirsi; Raustia, Aune; Pirttiniemi, Pertti

2017-06-28

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of inter-arch measurements using digital dental models and conventional dental casts. Thirty sets of dental casts with permanent dentition were examined. Manual measurements were done with a digital caliper directly on the dental casts, and digital measurements were made on 3D models by two independent examiners. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), a paired sample t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Bland-Altman plots were used to evaluate intra- and inter-examiner error and to determine the accuracy and reliability of the measurements. The ICC values were generally good for manual and excellent for digital measurements. The Bland-Altman plots of all the measurements showed good agreement between the manual and digital methods and excellent inter-examiner agreement using the digital method. Inter-arch occlusal measurements on digital models are accurate and reliable and are superior to manual measurements.

Virtual Antiparticle Pairs, the Unit of Charge Epsilon and the QCD Coupling Alpha(sub s)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batchelor, David

2001-01-01

New semi-classical models of virtual antiparticle pairs are used to compute the pair lifetimes, and good agreement with the Heisenberg lifetimes from quantum field theory (QFT) is found. When the results of the new models and QFT are combined, formulae for e and alpha(sub s)(q) are derived in terms of only h and c. The modeling method applies to both the electromagnetic and color forces. Evaluation of the action integral of potential field fluctuation for each interaction potential yields approx. = h/2 for both electromagnetic and color fluctuations, in agreement with QFT. Thus each model is a quantized semiclassical representation for such virtual antiparticle pairs, to good approximation. This work reduces the number of arbitrary parameters of the Standard Model by two from 18 to 16. These are remarkable, unexpected results from a basically classical method.

Element analysis and calculation of the attenuation coefficients for gold, bronze and water matrixes using MCNP, WinXCom and experimental data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esfandiari, M.; Shirmardi, S. P.; Medhat, M. E.

2014-06-01

In this study, element analysis and the mass attenuation coefficient for matrixes of gold, bronze and water with various impurities and the concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn) are evaluated and calculated by the MCNP simulation code for photons emitted from Barium-133, Americium-241 and sources with energies between 1 and 100 keV. The MCNP data are compared with the experimental data and WinXCom code simulated results by Medhat. The results showed that the obtained results of bronze and gold matrix are in good agreement with the other methods for energies above 40 and 60 keV, respectively. However for water matrixes with various impurities, there is a good agreement between the three methods MCNP, WinXCom and the experimental one in low and high energies.

Methyl group dynamics in paracetamol and acetanilide: probing the static properties of intermolecular hydrogen bonds formed by peptide groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, M. R.; Prager, M.; Grimm, H.; Neumann, M. A.; Kearley, G. J.; Wilson, C. C.

1999-06-01

Measurements of tunnelling and librational excitations for the methyl group in paracetamol and tunnelling excitations for the methyl group in acetanilide are reported. In both cases, results are compared with molecular mechanics calculations, based on the measured low temperature crystal structures, which follow an established recipe. Agreement between calculated and measured methyl group observables is not as good as expected and this is attributed to the presence of comprehensive hydrogen bond networks formed by the peptide groups. Good agreement is obtained with a periodic quantum chemistry calculation which uses density functional methods, these calculations confirming the validity of the one-dimensional rotational model used and the crystal structures. A correction to the Coulomb contribution to the rotational potential in the established recipe using semi-emipircal quantum chemistry methods, which accommodates the modified charge distribution due to the hydrogen bonds, is investigated.

Comparison of propeller cruise noise data taken in the NASA Lewis 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel with other tunnel and flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittmar, James H.

1989-01-01

The noise of advanced high speed propeller models measured in the NASA 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel has been compared with model propeller noise measured in another tunnel and with full-scale propeller noise measured in flight. Good agreement was obtained for the noise of a model counterrotation propeller tested in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel and in the acoustically treated test section of the Boeing Transonic Wind Tunnel. This good agreement indicates the relative validity of taking cruise noise data on a plate in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel compared with the free-field method in the Boeing tunnel. Good agreement was also obtained for both single rotation and counter-rotation model noise comparisons with full-scale propeller noise in flight. The good scale model to full-scale comparisons indicate both the validity of the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel data and the ability to scale to full size. Boundary layer refraction on the plate provides a limitation to the measurement of forward arc noise in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel at the higher harmonics of the blade passing tone. The use of a validated boundary layer refraction model to adjust the data could remove this limitation.

Comparison of propeller cruise noise data taken in the NASA Lewis 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel with other tunnel and flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dittmar, James

1989-01-01

The noise of advanced high speed propeller models measured in the NASA 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel has been compared with model propeller noise measured in another tunnel and with full-scale propeller noise measured in flight. Good agreement was obtained for the noise of a model counterrotation propeller tested in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel and in the acoustically treated test section of the Boeing Transonic Wind Tunnel. This good agreement indicates the relative validity of taking cruise noise data on a plate in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel compared with the free-field method in the Boeing tunnel. Good agreement was also obtained for both single rotation and counter-rotation model noise comparisons with full-scale propeller noise in flight. The good scale model to full-scale comparisons indicate both the validity of the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel data and the ability to scale to full size. Boundary layer refraction on the plate provides a limitation to the measurement of forward arc noise in the 8- by 6-foot wind tunnel at the higher harmonics of the blade passing tone. The sue of a validated boundary layer refraction model to adjust the data could remove this limitation.

The Stayhealthy bioelectrical impedance analyzer predicts body fat in children and adults.

PubMed

Erceg, David N; Dieli-Conwright, Christina M; Rossuello, Amerigo E; Jensky, Nicole E; Sun, Stephanie; Schroeder, E Todd

2010-05-01

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a time-efficient and cost-effective method for estimating body composition. We hypothesized that there would be no significant difference between the Stayhealthy BC1 BIA and the selected reference methods when determining body composition. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to determine the validity of estimating percent body fat (%BF) using the Stayhealthy BIA with its most recently updated algorithms compared to the reference methods of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry for adults and hydrostatic weighing for children. We measured %BF in 245 adults aged 18 to 80 years and 115 children aged 10 to 17 years. Body fat by BIA was determined using a single 50 kHz frequency handheld impedance device and proprietary software. Agreement between BIA and reference methods was assessed by Bland and Altman plots. Bland and Altman analysis for men, women, and children revealed good agreement between the reference methods and BIA. There was no significant difference by t tests between mean %BF by BIA for men, women, or children when compared to the respective reference method. Significant correlation values between BIA, and reference methods for all men, women, and children were 0.85, 0.88, and 0.79, respectively. Reliability (test-retest) was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient and coefficient of variation. Intraclass correlation coefficient values were greater than 0.99 (P < .001) for men, women, and children with coefficient of variation values 3.3%, 1.8%, and 1.7%, respectively. The Stayhealthy BIA device demonstrated good agreement between reference methods using Bland and Altman analyses. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis of biomolecular solvation sites by 3D-RISM theory.

PubMed

Sindhikara, Daniel J; Hirata, Fumio

2013-06-06

We derive, implement, and apply equilibrium solvation site analysis for biomolecules. Our method utilizes 3D-RISM calculations to quickly obtain equilibrium solvent distributions without either necessity of simulation or limits of solvent sampling. Our analysis of these distributions extracts highest likelihood poses of solvent as well as localized entropies, enthalpies, and solvation free energies. We demonstrate our method on a structure of HIV-1 protease where excellent structural and thermodynamic data are available for comparison. Our results, obtained within minutes, show systematic agreement with available experimental data. Further, our results are in good agreement with established simulation-based solvent analysis methods. This method can be used not only for visual analysis of active site solvation but also for virtual screening methods and experimental refinement.

A meta-analysis of the validity of FFQ targeted to adolescents.

PubMed

Tabacchi, Garden; Filippi, Anna Rita; Amodio, Emanuele; Jemni, Monèm; Bianco, Antonino; Firenze, Alberto; Mammina, Caterina

2016-05-01

The present work is aimed at meta-analysing validity studies of FFQ for adolescents, to investigate their overall accuracy and variables that can affect it negatively. A meta-analysis of sixteen original articles was performed within the ASSO Project (Adolescents and Surveillance System in the Obesity prevention). The articles assessed the validity of FFQ for adolescents, compared with food records or 24 h recalls, with regard to energy and nutrient intakes. Pearson's or Spearman's correlation coefficients, means/standard deviations, kappa agreement, percentiles and mean differences/limits of agreement (Bland-Altman method) were extracted. Pooled estimates were calculated and heterogeneity tested for correlation coefficients and means/standard deviations. A subgroup analysis assessed variables influencing FFQ accuracy. An overall fair/high correlation between FFQ and reference method was found; a good agreement, measured through the intake mean comparison for all nutrients except sugar, carotene and K, was observed. Kappa values showed fair/moderate agreement; an overall good ability to rank adolescents according to energy and nutrient intakes was evidenced by data of percentiles; absolute validity was not confirmed by mean differences/limits of agreement. Interviewer administration mode, consumption interval of the previous year/6 months and high number of food items are major contributors to heterogeneity and thus can reduce FFQ accuracy. The meta-analysis shows that FFQ are accurate tools for collecting data and could be used for ranking adolescents in terms of energy and nutrient intakes. It suggests how the design and the validation of a new FFQ should be addressed.

Micromechanical Prediction of the Effective Coefficients of Thermo-Piezoelectric Multiphase Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aboudi, Jacob

1998-01-01

The micromechanical generalized method of cells model is employed for the prediction of the effective elastic, piezoelectric, dielectric, pyroelectric and thermal-expansion constants of multiphase composites with embedded piezoelectric materials. The predicted effective constants are compared with other micromechanical methods available in the literature and good agreements are obtained.

Interobserver reliability of echocardiography for prognostication of normotensive patients with pulmonary embolism

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Objectives To evaluate the interobserver reliability of echocardiographic findings of right ventricle (RV) dysfunction for prognosticating normotensive patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods A central panel of cardiologists evaluated echocardiographic studies of 75 patients included in the PROTECT study for the following signs: RV diameter, RV/left ventricular (LV) diameter ratio, hypokinesis of the RV free wall, and tricuspid plane systolic excursion (TAPSE). Investigators used intraclass correlation to assess agreement between the measurements of the central panel and each of the local cardiologists. Investigators used the single weighted kappa statistic to test for agreement between readers of interpretation of RV enlargement and RV hypokinesis. Results The two observers had fair agreement (k = 0.45) for RV enlargement assessed by the RV diameter, and good agreement (k = 0.65) for RV enlargement assessed by the RV/LV diameter ratio. The interobserver reliability of the assessment whether hypokinesis of the RV free wall is present was good (к = 0.70), and whether RV dysfunction (assessed by TAPSE measurement) is present was very good (k = 0.86). The intraclass correlation for the RV/LV diameter ratio was fair (0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37-0.69), for the RV diameter was good (0.70; 95% CI, 0.56-0.80), and for the TAPSE measurement was very good (0.85; 95% CI, 0.77-0.90). On Bland-Altman analysis, the mean differences for RV diameter, RV/LV diameter ratio and TAPSE measurement were 2.33 (±5.38), 0.06 (±0.23) and 0.08 (±2.20), respectively. Conclusion TAPSE measurement is the least user dependent and most reproducible echocardiographic finding of RV dysfunction in normotensive patients with PE. PMID:25092465

Subsonic annular wing theory with application to flow about nacelles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mann, M. J.

1974-01-01

A method has recently been developed for calculating the flow over a subsonic nacelle at zero angle of attack. The method makes use of annular wing theory and boundary-layer theory and has shown good agreement with both experimental data and more complex theoretical solutions. The method permits variation of the mass flow by changing the size of a center body.

A SIMPLE AND RAPID METHOD FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM FROM THE SAME SAMPLE OF BLOOD SERUM

PubMed Central

Kovács, G. S.; Tárnoky, K. E.

1960-01-01

A simple and rapid procedure has been developed for the complexometric titration of serum calcium and magnesium using “plasmocorinth B” as indicator. Both determinations can be carried out from the same 0.5 ml. sample. The method is in good agreement with the established calcium and magnesium methods. PMID:14411396

Comparison of GPS receiver DCB estimation methods using a GPS network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Byung-Kyu; Park, Jong-Uk; Min Roh, Kyoung; Lee, Sang-Jeong

2013-07-01

Two approaches for receiver differential code biases (DCB) estimation using the GPS data obtained from the Korean GPS network (KGN) in South Korea are suggested: the relative and single (absolute) methods. The relative method uses a GPS network, while the single method determines DCBs from a single station only. Their performance was assessed by comparing the receiver DCB values obtained from the relative method with those estimated by the single method. The daily averaged receiver DCBs obtained from the two different approaches showed good agreement for 7 days. The root mean square (RMS) value of those differences is 0.83 nanoseconds (ns). The standard deviation of the receiver DCBs estimated by the relative method was smaller than that of the single method. From these results, it is clear that the relative method can obtain more stable receiver DCBs compared with the single method over a short-term period. Additionally, the comparison between the receiver DCBs obtained by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) and those of the IGS Global Ionosphere Maps (GIM) showed a good agreement at 0.3 ns. As the accuracy of DCB values significantly affects the accuracy of ionospheric total electron content (TEC), more studies are needed to ensure the reliability and stability of the estimated receiver DCBs.

20 CFR 416.2171 - Duration of agreement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... end the agreement; and (3) The State does not give a good reason for keeping the agreement in force beyond the ending date we selected. If the State does provide a good reason, the termination will be...

24 CFR 1000.244 - If the recipient has made a good-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt status but has been unsuccessful... recipient has made a good-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt status but has... recipient's Area ONAP. The request must detail a good faith effort by the recipient, identify the housing...

24 CFR 1000.244 - If the recipient has made a good-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

...-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt status but has been unsuccessful... recipient has made a good-faith effort to negotiate a cooperation agreement and tax-exempt status but has... recipient's Area ONAP. The request must detail a good faith effort by the recipient, identify the housing...

Standardization of iodine-129 by the TDCR liquid scintillation method and 4π β-γ coincidence counting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassette, P.; Bouchard, J.; Chauvenet, B.

1994-01-01

Iodine-129 is a long-lived fission product, with physical and chemical properties that make it a good candidate for evaluating the environmental impact of the nuclear energy fuel cycle. To avoid solid source preparation problems, liquid scintillation has been used to standardize this nuclide for a EUROMET intercomparison. Two methods were used to measure the iodine-129 activity: triple-to-double-coincidence ratio liquid scintillation counting and 4π β-γ coincidence counting; the results are in good agreement.

Inter-observer and intra-observer agreement on interpretation of uroflowmetry curves of kindergarten children.

PubMed

Chang, Shang-Jen; Yang, Stephen S D

2008-12-01

To evaluate the inter-observer and intra-observer agreement on the interpretation of uroflowmetry curves of children. Healthy kindergarten children were enrolled for evaluation of uroflowmetry. Uroflowmetry curves were classified as bell-shaped, tower, plateau, staccato and interrupted. Only the bell-shaped curves were regarded as normal. Two urodynamists evaluated the curves independently after reviewing the definitions of the different types of uroflowmetry curve. The senior urodynamist evaluated the curves twice 3 months apart. The final conclusion was made when consensus was reached. Agreement among observers was analyzed using kappa statistics. Of 190 uroflowmetry curves eligible for analysis, the intra-observer agreement in interpreting each type of curve and interpreting normalcy vs abnormality was good (kappa=0.71 and 0.68, respectively). Very good inter-observer agreement (kappa=0.81) on normalcy and good inter-observer agreement (kappa=0.73) on types of uroflowmetry were observed. Poor inter-observer agreement existed on the classification of specific types of abnormal uroflowmetry curves (kappa=0.07). Uroflowmetry is a good screening tool for normalcy of kindergarten children, while not a good tool to define the specific types of abnormal uroflowmetry.

Accuracy of acoustic respiration rate monitoring in pediatric patients.

PubMed

Patino, Mario; Redford, Daniel T; Quigley, Thomas W; Mahmoud, Mohamed; Kurth, C Dean; Szmuk, Peter

2013-12-01

Rainbow acoustic monitoring (RRa) utilizes acoustic technology to continuously and noninvasively determine respiratory rate from an adhesive sensor located on the neck. We sought to validate the accuracy of RRa, by comparing it to capnography, impedance pneumography, and to a reference method of counting breaths in postsurgical children. Continuous respiration rate data were recorded from RRa and capnography. In a subset of patients, intermittent respiration rate from thoracic impedance pneumography was also recorded. The reference method, counted respiratory rate by the retrospective analysis of the RRa, and capnographic waveforms while listening to recorded breath sounds were used to compare respiration rate of both capnography and RRa. Bias, precision, and limits of agreement of RRa compared with capnography and RRa and capnography compared with the reference method were calculated. Tolerance and reliability to the acoustic sensor and nasal cannula were also assessed. Thirty-nine of 40 patients (97.5%) demonstrated good tolerance of the acoustic sensor, whereas 25 of 40 patients (62.5%) demonstrated good tolerance of the nasal cannula. Intermittent thoracic impedance produced erroneous respiratory rates (>50 b·min(-1) from the other methods) on 47% of occasions. The bias ± SD and limits of agreement were -0.30 ± 3.5 b·min(-1) and -7.3 to 6.6 b·min(-1) for RRa compared with capnography; -0.1 ± 2.5 b·min(-1) and -5.0 to 5.0 b·min(-1) for RRa compared with the reference method; and 0.2 ± 3.4 b·min(-1) and -6.8 to 6.7 b·min(-1) for capnography compared with the reference method. When compared to nasal capnography, RRa showed good agreement and similar accuracy and precision but was better tolerated in postsurgical pediatric patients. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Plus Disease in Retinopathy of Prematurity: Improving Diagnosis by Ranking Disease Severity and Using Quantitative Image Analysis.

PubMed

Kalpathy-Cramer, Jayashree; Campbell, J Peter; Erdogmus, Deniz; Tian, Peng; Kedarisetti, Dharanish; Moleta, Chace; Reynolds, James D; Hutcheson, Kelly; Shapiro, Michael J; Repka, Michael X; Ferrone, Philip; Drenser, Kimberly; Horowitz, Jason; Sonmez, Kemal; Swan, Ryan; Ostmo, Susan; Jonas, Karyn E; Chan, R V Paul; Chiang, Michael F

2016-11-01

To determine expert agreement on relative retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) disease severity and whether computer-based image analysis can model relative disease severity, and to propose consideration of a more continuous severity score for ROP. We developed 2 databases of clinical images of varying disease severity (100 images and 34 images) as part of the Imaging and Informatics in ROP (i-ROP) cohort study and recruited expert physician, nonexpert physician, and nonphysician graders to classify and perform pairwise comparisons on both databases. Six participating expert ROP clinician-scientists, each with a minimum of 10 years of clinical ROP experience and 5 ROP publications, and 5 image graders (3 physicians and 2 nonphysician graders) who analyzed images that were obtained during routine ROP screening in neonatal intensive care units. Images in both databases were ranked by average disease classification (classification ranking), by pairwise comparison using the Elo rating method (comparison ranking), and by correlation with the i-ROP computer-based image analysis system. Interexpert agreement (weighted κ statistic) compared with the correlation coefficient (CC) between experts on pairwise comparisons and correlation between expert rankings and computer-based image analysis modeling. There was variable interexpert agreement on diagnostic classification of disease (plus, preplus, or normal) among the 6 experts (mean weighted κ, 0.27; range, 0.06-0.63), but good correlation between experts on comparison ranking of disease severity (mean CC, 0.84; range, 0.74-0.93) on the set of 34 images. Comparison ranking provided a severity ranking that was in good agreement with ranking obtained by classification ranking (CC, 0.92). Comparison ranking on the larger dataset by both expert and nonexpert graders demonstrated good correlation (mean CC, 0.97; range, 0.95-0.98). The i-ROP system was able to model this continuous severity with good correlation (CC, 0.86). Experts diagnose plus disease on a continuum, with poor absolute agreement on classification but good relative agreement on disease severity. These results suggest that the use of pairwise rankings and a continuous severity score, such as that provided by the i-ROP system, may improve agreement on disease severity in the future. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development and Validation of a Hypersonic Vehicle Design Tool Based On Waverider Design Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasque, Nastassja

Methodologies for a tool capable of assisting design initiatives for practical waverider based hypersonic vehicles were developed and validated. The design space for vehicle surfaces was formed using an algorithm that coupled directional derivatives with the conservation laws to determine a flow field defined by a set of post-shock streamlines. The design space is used to construct an ideal waverider with a sharp leading edge. A blunting method was developed to modify the ideal shapes to a more practical geometry for real-world application. Empirical and analytical relations were then systematically applied to the resulting geometries to determine local pressure, skin-friction and heat flux. For the ideal portion of the geometry, flat plate relations for compressible flow were applied. For the blunted portion of the geometry modified Newtonian theory, Fay-Riddell theory and Modified Reynolds analogy were applied. The design and analysis methods were validated using analytical solutions as well as empirical and numerical data. The streamline solution for the flow field generation technique was compared with a Taylor-Maccoll solution and showed very good agreement. The relationship between the local Stanton number and skin friction coefficient with local Reynolds number along the ideal portion of the body showed good agreement with experimental data. In addition, an automated grid generation routine was formulated to construct a structured mesh around resulting geometries in preparation for Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis. The overall analysis of the waverider body using the tool was then compared to CFD studies. The CFD flow field showed very good agreement with the design space. However, the distribution of the surface properties was near CFD results but did not have great agreement.

2 CFR 176.170 - Notice of Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)-Section 1605 of the American... Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)—Section 1605 of the... building or public work, and involve iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods covered under international...

Diagnostic Accuracy Assessment of Sensititre and Agar Disk Diffusion for Determining Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Bovine Clinical Mastitis Pathogens▿

PubMed Central

Saini, V.; Riekerink, R. G. M. Olde; McClure, J. T.; Barkema, H. W.

2011-01-01

Determining the accuracy and precision of a measuring instrument is pertinent in antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This study was conducted to predict the diagnostic accuracy of the Sensititre MIC mastitis panel (Sensititre) and agar disk diffusion (ADD) method with reference to the manual broth microdilution test method for antimicrobial resistance profiling of Escherichia coli (n = 156), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 154), streptococcal (n = 116), and enterococcal (n = 31) bovine clinical mastitis isolates. The activities of ampicillin, ceftiofur, cephalothin, erythromycin, oxacillin, penicillin, the penicillin-novobiocin combination, pirlimycin, and tetracycline were tested against the isolates. Diagnostic accuracy was determined by estimating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve; intertest essential and categorical agreements were determined as well. Sensititre and the ADD method demonstrated moderate to highly accurate (71 to 99%) and moderate to perfect (71 to 100%) predictive accuracies for 74 and 76% of the isolate-antimicrobial MIC combinations, respectively. However, the diagnostic accuracy was low for S. aureus-ceftiofur/oxacillin combinations and other streptococcus-ampicillin combinations by either testing method. Essential agreement between Sensititre automatic MIC readings and MIC readings obtained by the broth microdilution test method was 87%. Essential agreement between Sensititre automatic and manual MIC reading methods was 97%. Furthermore, the ADD test method and Sensititre MIC method exhibited 92 and 91% categorical agreement (sensitive, intermediate, resistant) of results, respectively, compared with the reference method. However, both methods demonstrated lower agreement for E. coli-ampicillin/cephalothin combinations than for Gram-positive isolates. In conclusion, the Sensititre and ADD methods had moderate to high diagnostic accuracy and very good essential and categorical agreement for most udder pathogen-antimicrobial combinations and can be readily employed in veterinary diagnostic laboratories. PMID:21270215

Dynamics of Intense Pulsed Proton Beam in the Nagaoka ETIGO-I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Hajime; Konno, Kohji; Masugata, Katsumi; Yatsui, Kiyoshi; Matsui, Masao

1982-10-01

Dynamics of an intense pulsed proton beam have been studied by measuring nuclear reactions as well as by a biased ion-collector (BIC). When the ion-current density (Ji) is small such that Ji<30 A/cm2, the proton number measured by BIC is in good agreement with that by nuclear activation. Good linearity exists between time integrated γ-ray signal and proton number measured by the activation. Hence, it would be possible to obtain the proton number quantitatively even when a target “blow-off” takes place at Ji>1 kA/cm2. Prompt γ-ray is also measured by the time-of-flight method to yield reasonable agreement with the applied peak potential.

Semiclassical Models for Virtual Antiparticle Pairs, the Unit of Charge e, and the QCD Coupling alpha(sub s)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batchelor, David; Zukor, Dorothy (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

New semiclassical models of virtual antiparticle pairs are used to compute the pair lifetimes, and good agreement with the Heisenberg lifetimes from quantum field theory (QFT) is found. The modeling method applies to both the electromagnetic and color forces. Evaluation of the action integral of potential field fluctuation for each interaction potential yields approximately Planck's constant/2 for both electromagnetic and color fluctuations, in agreement with QFT. Thus each model is a quantized semiclassical representation for such virtual antiparticle pairs, to good approximation. When the results of the new models and QFT are combined, formulae for e and alpha(sub s)(q) are derived in terms of only Planck's constant and c.

Unsteady Flow Simulation of a Sweeping Jet Actuator Using a Lattice-Boltzmann Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duda, B.; Wessels, M.; Fares, E.; Vatsa, V.

2016-01-01

Active flow control technology is increasingly used in aerospace applications to control flow separation and to improve aerodynamic performance. In this paper, PowerFLOW is used to simulate the flow through a sweeping jet actuator at two different pressure ratios. The lower pressure ratio leads to a high subsonic flow, whereas the high pressure ratio produces a choked flow condition. Comparison of numerical results with experimental data is shown, which includes qualitatively good agreement of pressure histories and spectra. PIV measurements are also available but the simulation overestimates mean and fluctuation quantities outside the actuator. If supply pressure is matched at one point inside the mixing chamber a good qualitative agreement is achieved at all other monitor points.

Capture and dissociation in the complex-forming CH + H2 → CH2 + H, CH + H2 reactions.

PubMed

González, Miguel; Saracibar, Amaia; Garcia, Ernesto

2011-02-28

The rate coefficients for the capture process CH + H(2)→ CH(3) and the reactions CH + H(2)→ CH(2) + H (abstraction), CH + H(2) (exchange) have been calculated in the 200-800 K temperature range, using the quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) method and the most recent global potential energy surface. The reactions, which are of interest in combustion and in astrochemistry, proceed via the formation of long-lived CH(3) collision complexes, and the three H atoms become equivalent. QCT rate coefficients for capture are in quite good agreement with experiments. However, an important zero point energy (ZPE) leakage problem occurs in the QCT calculations for the abstraction, exchange and inelastic exit channels. To account for this issue, a pragmatic but accurate approach has been applied, leading to a good agreement with experimental abstraction rate coefficients. Exchange rate coefficients have also been calculated using this approach. Finally, calculations employing QCT capture/phase space theory (PST) models have been carried out, leading to similar values for the abstraction rate coefficients as the QCT and previous quantum mechanical capture/PST methods. This suggests that QCT capture/PST models are a good alternative to the QCT method for this and similar systems.

Validity of a commercial wearable sleep tracker in adult insomnia disorder patients and good sleepers.

PubMed

Kang, Seung-Gul; Kang, Jae Myeong; Ko, Kwang-Pil; Park, Seon-Cheol; Mariani, Sara; Weng, Jia

2017-06-01

To compare the accuracy of the commercial Fitbit Flex device (FF) with polysomnography (PSG; the gold-standard method) in insomnia disorder patients and good sleepers. Participants wore an FF and actigraph while undergoing overnight PSG. Primary outcomes were intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of the total sleep time (TST) and sleep efficiency (SE), and the frequency of clinically acceptable agreement between the FF in normal mode (FFN) and PSG. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of detecting sleep epochs were compared among FFN, actigraphy, and PSG. The ICCs of the TST between FFN and PSG in the insomnia (ICC=0.886) and good-sleepers (ICC=0.974) groups were excellent, but the ICC of SE was only fair in both groups. The TST and SE were overestimated for FFN by 6.5min and 1.75%, respectively, in good sleepers, and by 32.9min and 7.9% in the insomnia group with respect to PSG. The frequency of acceptable agreement of FFN and PSG was significantly lower (p=0.006) for the insomnia group (39.4%) than for the good-sleepers group (82.4%). The sensitivity and accuracy of FFN in an epoch-by-epoch comparison with PSG was good and comparable to those of actigraphy, but the specificity was poor in both groups. The ICC of TST in the FFN-PSG comparison was excellent in both groups, and the frequency of agreement was high in good sleepers but significantly lower in insomnia patients. These limitations need to be considered when applying commercial sleep trackers for clinical and research purposes in insomnia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Applying wavelet transforms to analyse aircraft-measured turbulence and turbulent fluxes in the atmospheric boundary layer over eastern Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strunin, M. A.; Hiyama, T.

2004-11-01

The wavelet spectral method was applied to aircraft-based measurements of atmospheric turbulence obtained during joint Russian-Japanese research on the atmospheric boundary layer near Yakutsk (eastern Siberia) in April-June 2000. Practical ways to apply Fourier and wavelet methods for aircraft-based turbulence data are described. Comparisons between Fourier and wavelet transform results are shown and they demonstrate, in conjunction with theoretical and experimental restrictions, that the Fourier transform method is not useful for studying non-homogeneous turbulence. The wavelet method is free from many disadvantages of Fourier analysis and can yield more informative results. Comparison of Fourier and Morlet wavelet spectra showed good agreement at high frequencies (small scales). The quality of the wavelet transform and corresponding software was estimated by comparing the original data with restored data constructed with an inverse wavelet transform. A Haar wavelet basis was inappropriate for the turbulence data; the mother wavelet function recommended in this study is the Morlet wavelet. Good agreement was also shown between variances and covariances estimated with different mathematical techniques, i.e. through non-orthogonal wavelet spectra and through eddy correlation methods.

Automated lobar quantification of emphysema in patients with severe COPD.

PubMed

Revel, Marie-Pierre; Faivre, Jean-Baptiste; Remy-Jardin, Martine; Deken, Valérie; Duhamel, Alain; Marquette, Charles-Hugo; Tacelli, Nunzia; Bakai, Anne-Marie; Remy, Jacques

2008-12-01

Automated lobar quantification of emphysema has not yet been evaluated. Unenhanced 64-slice MDCT was performed in 47 patients evaluated before bronchoscopic lung-volume reduction. CT images reconstructed with a standard (B20) and high-frequency (B50) kernel were analyzed using a dedicated prototype software (MevisPULMO) allowing lobar quantification of emphysema extent. Lobar quantification was obtained following (a) a fully automatic delineation of the lobar limits by the software and (b) a semiautomatic delineation with manual correction of the lobar limits when necessary and was compared with the visual scoring of emphysema severity per lobe. No statistically significant difference existed between automated and semiautomated lobar quantification (p > 0.05 in the five lobes), with differences ranging from 0.4 to 3.9%. The agreement between the two methods (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC) was excellent for left upper lobe (ICC = 0.94), left lower lobe (ICC = 0.98), and right lower lobe (ICC = 0.80). The agreement was good for right upper lobe (ICC = 0.68) and moderate for middle lobe (IC = 0.53). The Bland and Altman plots confirmed these results. A good agreement was observed between the software and visually assessed lobar predominance of emphysema (kappa 0.78; 95% CI 0.64-0.92). Automated and semiautomated lobar quantifications of emphysema are concordant and show good agreement with visual scoring.

Symmetry Breaking and the B3LYP Functional

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Hudgins, Douglas M.; Allamandola, Louis J.; Arnold, James O. (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

The infrared spectra of six molecules, each of which contains a five-membered ring, and their cations are determined using density functional theory (DFT); both the B3LYP and BP86 functionals are used. The computed results are compared with the experimental spectra. For the neutral molecules, both methods are in good agreement with experiment. Even the Hartree-Fock (HF) approach is qualitatively correct for the neutrals. For the cations, the HF approach fails, as found for other organic ring systems. The B3LYP and BP86 approaches are in good mutual agreement for five of the six cation spectra, and in good agreement with experiment for four of the five cations where the experimental spectra are available. It is only for the fluoranthene cation, where the BP86 and B3LYP functionals yield different results; the BP86 yields the expected C2v symmetry, while the B3LYP approach breaks symmetry. The experimental spectra supports the BP86 spectra over the B3LYP, but the quality of the experimental spectra does not allow a critical evaluation of the accuracy of the BP86 approach for this difficult system.

Time-of-flight measurements of heavy ions using Si PIN diodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strekalovsky, A. O., E-mail: alex.strek@bk.ru; Kamanin, D. V.; Pyatkov, Yu. V.

2016-12-15

A new off-line timing method for PIN diode signals is presented which allows the plasma delay effect to be suppressed. Velocities of heavy ions measured by the new method are in good agreement within a wide range of masses and energies with velocities measured by time stamp detectors based on microchannel plates.

Comparison of LVEF assessed by 2D echocardiography, gated blood pool SPECT, 99mTc tetrofosmin gated SPECT, and 18F-FDG gated PET with ERNV in patients with CAD and severe LV dysfunction.

PubMed

Raja, Senthil; Mittal, Bhagwant R; Santhosh, Sampath; Bhattacharya, Anish; Rohit, Manoj K

2014-11-01

Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is the single most important predictor of prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography (ERNV) is considered the most reliable technique for assessing LVEF. Most of these patients undergo two dimensional (2D) echocardiography and myocardial viability study using gated myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) or gated F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET. However, the accuracy of LVEF assessed by these methods is not clear. This study has been designed to assess the correlation and agreement between the LVEF measured by 2D echocardiography, gated blood pool single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), Tc tetrofosmin gated SPECT, and F-FDG gated PET with ERNV in CAD patients with severe LV dysfunction. Patients with CAD and severe LV dysfunction [ejection fraction (EF) <35 assessed by 2D echocardiography] were prospectively included in the study. These patients underwent ERNV along with gated blood pool SPECT, Tc tetrofosmin gated SPECT, and F-FDG gated PET as per the standard protocol for myocardial viability assessment and LVEF calculation. Spearman's coefficient of correlation (r) was calculated for the different sets of values with significance level kept at a P-value less than 0.05. Bland-Altman plots were inspected to visually assess the between-agreement measurements from different methods. Forty-one patients were prospectively included. LVEF calculated by various radionuclide methods showed good correlation with ERNV as follows: gated blood pool SPECT, r=0.92; MPI gated SPECT, r=0.85; and F-FDG gated PET, r=0.76. However, the correlation between 2D echocardiography and ERNV was poor (r=0.520). The Bland-Altman plot for LVEF measured by all radionuclide methods showed good agreement with ERNV. However, agreement between 2D echocardiography and ERNV is poor, as most of the values in this plot gave a negative difference for low EF and a positive difference for high EF. The mean difference between various techniques [2D echocardiography (a), gated blood pool SPECT (b), MPI gated SPECT (c), F-FDG gated PET (d)] and ERNV (e) was as follows: (a)-(e), 3.3; (b)-(e), 5; (c)-(e), 1.1; and (d)-(e), 2.9. The best possible correlation and agreement was found between MPI gated SPECT and ERNV. This study showed good correlation and agreement between MPI gated SPECT and F-FDG gated PET with ERNV for LVEF calculation in CAD patients with severe LV dysfunction. Thus, subjecting patients who undergo viability assessment by MPI gated SPECT or F-FDG gated PET to a separate procedure like ERNV for LVEF assessment may not be warranted. As the gated blood pool SPECT also showed good correlation and agreement with ERNV for LVEF assessment in CAD patients with severe LV dysfunction, with better characteristics than ERNV, it can be routinely used whenever accurate LVEF assessment is needed.

Parameterization of spectral baseline directly from short echo time full spectra in 1 H-MRS.

PubMed

Lee, Hyeong Hun; Kim, Hyeonjin

2017-09-01

To investigate the feasibility of parameterizing macromolecule (MM) resonances directly from short echo time (TE) spectra rather than pre-acquired, T 1 -weighted, metabolite-nulled spectra in 1 H-MRS. Initial line parameters for metabolites and MMs were set for rat brain spectra acquired at 9.4 Tesla upon a priori knowledge. Then, MM line parameters were optimized over several steps with fixed metabolite line parameters. The proposed method was tested by estimating metabolite T 1 . The results were compared with those obtained with two existing methods. Furthermore, subject-specific, spin density-weighted, MM model spectra were generated according to the MM line parameters from the proposed method for metabolite quantification. The results were compared with those obtained with subject-specific, T 1 -weighted, metabolite-nulled spectra. The metabolite T 1 were largely in close agreement among the three methods. The spin density-weighted MM resonances from the proposed method were in good agreement with the T 1 -weighted, metabolite-nulled spectra except for the MM resonance at ∼3.2 ppm. The metabolite concentrations estimated by incorporating these two different spectral baselines were also in good agreement except for several metabolites with resonances at ∼3.2 ppm. The MM parameterization directly from short-TE spectra is feasible. Further development of the method may allow for better representation of spectral baseline with negligible T 1 -weighting. Magn Reson Med 78:836-847, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

2 CFR 176.170 - Notice of Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)-Section 1605 of the American... Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements... repair of a public building or public work, and involve iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods covered...

2 CFR 176.170 - Notice of Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)-Section 1605 of the American... American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)—Section 1605 of the... building or public work, and involve iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods covered under international...

2 CFR 176.170 - Notice of Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements)-Section 1605 of the American... Required Use of American Iron, Steel, and Manufactured Goods (covered under International Agreements... repair of a public building or public work, and involve iron, steel, and/or manufactured goods covered...

FT-IR and Raman spectra, DFT and SQMFF calculations for geometrical interpretation and vibrational analysis of 3-nitro-p-toluic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nataraj, A.; Balachandran, V.; Karthick, T.

2012-08-01

The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and FT-Raman of 3-nitro-p-toluic acid (NTA) have been recorded and analyzed. The equilibrium geometry, bonding features and harmonic vibrational frequencies have been investigated with the help of ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) methods. The assignments of the vibrational spectra have been carried out with the help of normal coordinate analysis (NCA) following the scaled quantum mechanical force field methodology (SQMFF). The optimized geometric bond lengths and bond angles obtained by computation show good agreement with experimental data of the relative compound. The computed dimer parameters also show good agreement with experimental data. The first hyperpolarizability (β0) of this noval molecular system and related properties (β, α0, and Δα) of NTA are calculated using B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) method on the finite-field approach. Stability of the molecule arising from hyperconjugative interactions, charge delocalization have been analyzed using natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. The results show that charge in electron density (ED) in the σ* and π* antibonding orbital and second order delocalization energies E(2) confirms the occurrence of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) within the molecule. The calculated HOMO and LUMO energies also show that charge transfer occurs within the molecule. Finally the calculations results were applied to simulated infrared and Raman spectra of the title compound which show good agreement with observed spectra.

Novel Semiquantitative Bone Marrow Oedema Score and Fracture Score for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Assessment of the Active Charcot Foot in Diabetes

PubMed Central

Meacock, L.; Donaldson, Ana; Isaac, A.; Briody, A.; Ramnarine, R.; Edmonds, M. E.; Elias, D. A.

2017-01-01

There are no accepted methods to grade bone marrow oedema (BMO) and fracture on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in Charcot osteoarthropathy. The aim was to devise semiquantitative BMO and fracture scores on foot and ankle MRI scans in diabetic patients with active osteoarthropathy and to assess the agreement in using these scores. Three radiologists assessed 45 scans (Siemens Avanto 1.5T, dedicated foot and ankle coil) and scored independently twenty-two bones (proximal phalanges, medial and lateral sesamoids, metatarsals, tarsals, distal tibial plafond, and medial and lateral malleoli) for BMO (0—no oedema, 1—oedema < 50% of bone volume, and 2—oedema > 50% of bone volume) and fracture (0—no fracture, 1—fracture, and 2—collapse/fragmentation). Interobserver agreement and intraobserver agreement were measured using multilevel modelling and intraclass correlation (ICC). The interobserver agreement for the total BMO and fracture scores was very good (ICC = 0.83, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.76, 0.91) and good (ICC = 0.62; 95% CI 0.48, 0.76), respectively. The intraobserver agreement for the total BMO and fracture scores was good (ICC = 0.78, 95% CI 0.6, 0.95) and fair to moderate (ICC = 0.44; 95% CI 0.14, 0.74), respectively. The proposed BMO and fracture scores are reliable and can be used to grade the extent of bone damage in the active Charcot foot. PMID:29230422

Displacement imprinted polymer receptor analysis (DIPRA) for chlorophenolic contaminants in drinking water and packaging materials.

PubMed

Nicholls, C; Karim, K; Piletsky, S; Saini, S; Setford, S

2006-01-15

The preparation of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for pentachlorophenol is described together with two alternative reporter derivatives for use in a displacement imprinted polymer receptor analysis (DIPRA) format procedure. In this procedure, alternative reporter molecules were rebound to the synthetic receptor sites and their displacement by the target analyte was employed as the basis of a simple procedure for the measurement of chlorophenols in water and packaging material samples. Water samples were extracted using the standard procedure (EPA 528) and a detection limit of 0.5 microg l(-1) was achieved using the DIPRA detection method, with good agreement between the displacement technique and GC-ECD analysis. A variety of packaging materials, extracted using a buffered detergent solution were also analysed using the DIPRA procedure and showed good agreement with GC results. In addition, investigation of the cross-reactivity of a range of pesticides and materials commonly encountered in environmental analysis indicated the procedure gave good discrimination between pesticides bearing a chlorophenolic moiety and other materials. The procedure is considered highly suitable for use as a rapid field-test method or for incorporation into a test kit device.

A new real-time visual assessment method for faulty movement patterns during a jump-landing task.

PubMed

Rabin, Alon; Levi, Ran; Abramowitz, Shai; Kozol, Zvi

2016-07-01

Determine the interrater reliability of a new real-time assessment of faulty movement patterns during a jump-landing task. Interrater reliability study. Human movement laboratory. 50 healthy females. Assessment included 6 items which were evaluated from a front and a side view. Two Physical Therapy students used a 9-point scale (0-8) to independently rate the quality of movement as good (0-2), moderate (3-5), or poor (6-8). Interrater reliability was expressed by percent agreement and weighted kappa. One examiner rated the quality of movement of 6 subjects as good, 34 subjects as moderate, and 10 subjects as poor. The second examiner rated the quality of movement of 12 subjects as good, 23 subjects as moderate, and 15 subjects as poor. Percent agreement and weighted kappa (95% confidence interval) were 78% and 0.68 (0.51, 0.85), respectively. A new real-time assessment of faulty movement patterns during jump-landing demonstrated adequate interrater reliability. Further study is warranted to validate this method against a motion analysis system, as well as to establish its predictive validity for injury. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation of three-dimensional incompressible spatial direct numerical simulation code: A comparison with linear stability and parabolic stability equation theories for boundary-layer transition on a flat plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joslin, Ronald D.; Streett, Craig L.; Chang, Chau-Lyan

1992-01-01

Spatially evolving instabilities in a boundary layer on a flat plate are computed by direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. In a truncated physical domain, a nonstaggered mesh is used for the grid. A Chebyshev-collocation method is used normal to the wall; finite difference and compact difference methods are used in the streamwise direction; and a Fourier series is used in the spanwise direction. For time stepping, implicit Crank-Nicolson and explicit Runge-Kutta schemes are used to the time-splitting method. The influence-matrix technique is used to solve the pressure equation. At the outflow boundary, the buffer-domain technique is used to prevent convective wave reflection or upstream propagation of information from the boundary. Results of the DNS are compared with those from both linear stability theory (LST) and parabolized stability equation (PSE) theory. Computed disturbance amplitudes and phases are in very good agreement with those of LST (for small inflow disturbance amplitudes). A measure of the sensitivity of the inflow condition is demonstrated with both LST and PSE theory used to approximate inflows. Although the DNS numerics are very different than those of PSE theory, the results are in good agreement. A small discrepancy in the results that does occur is likely a result of the variation in PSE boundary condition treatment in the far field. Finally, a small-amplitude wave triad is forced at the inflow, and simulation results are compared with those of LST. Again, very good agreement is found between DNS and LST results for the 3-D simulations, the implication being that the disturbance amplitudes are sufficiently small that nonlinear interactions are negligible.

Good Agreements Make Good Friends

PubMed Central

Han, The Anh; Pereira, Luís Moniz; Santos, Francisco C.; Lenaerts, Tom

2013-01-01

When starting a new collaborative endeavor, it pays to establish upfront how strongly your partner commits to the common goal and what compensation can be expected in case the collaboration is violated. Diverse examples in biological and social contexts have demonstrated the pervasiveness of making prior agreements on posterior compensations, suggesting that this behavior could have been shaped by natural selection. Here, we analyze the evolutionary relevance of such a commitment strategy and relate it to the costly punishment strategy, where no prior agreements are made. We show that when the cost of arranging a commitment deal lies within certain limits, substantial levels of cooperation can be achieved. Moreover, these levels are higher than that achieved by simple costly punishment, especially when one insists on sharing the arrangement cost. Not only do we show that good agreements make good friends, agreements based on shared costs result in even better outcomes. PMID:24045873

Agreement between the methods: Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment and the nutritional assessment of the World Health Organization.

PubMed

Pimenta, Fabiana S; Oliveira, Cássia M; Hattori, Wallisen T; Teixeira, Kely R

2017-11-12

To assess the agreement between the results of the Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment questionnaire, adapted for children and adolescents of the Brazilian population, and the nutritional status assessment method through growth curves and the classification of the World Health Organization in a pediatric hospital service. This was an analytical, quantitative, cross-sectional study. During the data collection period, the nutritional status of all patients from 0 to 12 years of age, admitted to the pediatric unit of a university hospital, was concomitantly assessed according to the Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment and World Health Organization curves. To determine the assessment and agreement between these methods, the Kappa and Kendall coefficients were used, respectively, considering a significance level of 5%. Sixty-one children participated, with a predominance of males. It was observed that the highest frequency of equivalent results occurred among the group classified as well nourished, and that only the height/age variable showed a close agreement between the methods. Additionally, there was a good correlation only for the weight/height variable between the assessment tools used. Due to the low agreement between the methods, the combination of both may be beneficial for the nutritional assessment of pediatric patients, collaborating with the early diagnosis of nutritional alterations and facilitating the use of adequate dietary therapy. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda.

Validation of published Stirling engine design methods using engine characteristics from the literature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martini, W. R.

1980-01-01

Four fully disclosed reference engines and five design methods are discussed. So far, the agreement between theory and experiment is about as good for the simpler calculation methods as it is for the more complicated methods, that is, within 20%. For the simpler methods, a one number adjustable constant can be used to reduce the error in predicting power output and efficiency over the entire operating map to less than 10%.

Use of variational methods in the determination of wind-driven ocean circulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gelos, R.; Laura, P. A. A.

1976-01-01

Simple polynomial approximations and a variational approach were used to predict wind-induced circulation in rectangular ocean basins. Stommel's and Munk's models were solved in a unified fashion by means of the proposed method. Very good agreement with exact solutions available in the literature was shown to exist. The method was then applied to more complex situations where an exact solution seems out of the question.

Ionization potential depression in an atomic-solid-plasma picture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosmej, F. B.

2018-05-01

Exotic solid density matter such as heated hollow crystals allow extended material studies while their physical properties and models such as the famous ionization potential depression are presently under renewed controversial discussion. Here we develop an atomic-solid-plasma (ASP) model that permits ionization potential depression studies also for single and multiple core hole states. Numerical calculations show very good agreement with recently available data not only in absolute values but also for Z-scaled properties while currently employed methods fail. For much above solid density compression, the ASP model predicts increased K-edge energies that are related to a Fermi surface rising. This is in good agreement with recent quantum molecular dynamics simulations. For hot dense matter a quantum number dependent optical electron finite temperature ion sphere model is developed that fits well with line shift and line disappearance data from dense laser produced plasma experiments. Finally, the physical transparency of the ASP picture allows a critical discussion of current methods.

Magnetic force microscopy study of domain walls in Co{sub 2}Z ferrite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qin, Lang; Verweij, Henk, E-mail: verweij.1@osu.edu

2014-03-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Hexaferrite Co{sub 2}Z is synthesized through the modified Pechini method. • Magnetic domains are observed in anisotropic Co{sub 2}Z single grain using MFM. • Observed single grain domain thickness is in good agreement with Dotsh model. - Abstract: Hexaferrite Co{sub 2}Z was synthesized through the modified Pechini method. Partially oriented samples were obtained after consolidation with uniaxial pressing and calcination/sintering at 1300 °C/1330 °C. The sample composition and morphology was identified with X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). MFM studies of the single grains revealed a domain structuremore » with 0.7 μm wide. The Co{sub 2}Z static magnetization was measured with a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and was used to calculate a single grain domain with a thickness of 4.8 μm. This result is in good agreement with SEM observations of the single grain thickness.« less

Chemical trend of exchange coupling in diluted magnetic II-VI semiconductors: Ab initio calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chanier, T.; Virot, F.; Hayn, R.

2009-05-01

We have calculated the chemical trend of magnetic exchange parameters ( Jdd , Nα , and Nβ ) of Zn-based II-VI semiconductors ZnA ( A=O , S, Se, and Te) doped with Co or Mn. We show that a proper treatment of electron correlations by the local spin-density approximation (LSDA)+U method leads to good agreement between experimental and theoretical values of the nearest-neighbor exchange coupling Jdd between localized 3d spins in contrast to the LSDA method. The exchange couplings between localized spins and doped electrons in the conduction band Nα are in good agreement with experiment as well. But the values for Nβ (coupling to doped holes in the valence band) indicate a crossover from weak coupling (for A=Te and Se) to strong coupling (for A=O ) and a localized hole state in ZnO:Mn. This hole localization explains the apparent discrepancy between photoemission and magneto-optical data for ZnO:Mn.

Comparison of Susceptibility Testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using the ESP Culture System II with That Using the BACTEC Method

PubMed Central

Ruiz, P.; Zerolo, F. J.; Casal, M. J.

2000-01-01

The ESP Culture System II was evaluated for its capacity to test the susceptibility of 389 cultures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to streptomycin, rifampin, ethambutol, and isoniazid. Good agreement with results with the BACTEC TB 460 was found. ESP II is a reliable, rapid, and automated method for performing susceptibility testing. PMID:11101619

Automated extraction and validation of children's gait parameters with the Kinect.

PubMed

Motiian, Saeid; Pergami, Paola; Guffey, Keegan; Mancinelli, Corrie A; Doretto, Gianfranco

2015-12-02

Gait analysis for therapy regimen prescription and monitoring requires patients to physically access clinics with specialized equipment. The timely availability of such infrastructure at the right frequency is especially important for small children. Besides being very costly, this is a challenge for many children living in rural areas. This is why this work develops a low-cost, portable, and automated approach for in-home gait analysis, based on the Microsoft Kinect. A robust and efficient method for extracting gait parameters is introduced, which copes with the high variability of noisy Kinect skeleton tracking data experienced across the population of young children. This is achieved by temporally segmenting the data with an approach based on coupling a probabilistic matching of stride template models, learned offline, with the estimation of their global and local temporal scaling. A preliminary study conducted on healthy children between 2 and 4 years of age is performed to analyze the accuracy, precision, repeatability, and concurrent validity of the proposed method against the GAITRite when measuring several spatial and temporal children's gait parameters. The method has excellent accuracy and good precision, with segmenting temporal sequences of body joint locations into stride and step cycles. Also, the spatial and temporal gait parameters, estimated automatically, exhibit good concurrent validity with those provided by the GAITRite, as well as very good repeatability. In particular, on a range of nine gait parameters, the relative and absolute agreements were found to be good and excellent, and the overall agreements were found to be good and moderate. This work enables and validates the automated use of the Kinect for children's gait analysis in healthy subjects. In particular, the approach makes a step forward towards developing a low-cost, portable, parent-operated in-home tool for clinicians assisting young children.

Self-consistent DFT +U method for real-space time-dependent density functional theory calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tancogne-Dejean, Nicolas; Oliveira, Micael J. T.; Rubio, Angel

2017-12-01

We implemented various DFT+U schemes, including the Agapito, Curtarolo, and Buongiorno Nardelli functional (ACBN0) self-consistent density-functional version of the DFT +U method [Phys. Rev. X 5, 011006 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevX.5.011006] within the massively parallel real-space time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) code octopus. We further extended the method to the case of the calculation of response functions with real-time TDDFT+U and to the description of noncollinear spin systems. The implementation is tested by investigating the ground-state and optical properties of various transition-metal oxides, bulk topological insulators, and molecules. Our results are found to be in good agreement with previously published results for both the electronic band structure and structural properties. The self-consistent calculated values of U and J are also in good agreement with the values commonly used in the literature. We found that the time-dependent extension of the self-consistent DFT+U method yields improved optical properties when compared to the empirical TDDFT+U scheme. This work thus opens a different theoretical framework to address the nonequilibrium properties of correlated systems.

Nuclear-Recoil Differential Cross Sections for the Two Photon Double Ionization of Helium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdel Naby, Shahin; Ciappina, M. F.; Lee, T. G.; Pindzola, M. S.; Colgan, J.

2013-05-01

In support of the reaction microscope measurements at the free-electron laser facility at Hamburg (FLASH), we use the time-dependent close-coupling method (TDCC) to calculate fully differential nuclear-recoil cross sections for the two-photon double ionization of He at photon energy of 44 eV. The total cross section for the double ionization is in good agreement with previous calculations. The nuclear-recoil distribution is in good agreement with the experimental measurements. In contrast to the single-photon double ionization, maximum nuclear recoil triple differential cross section is obtained at small nuclear momenta. This work was supported in part by grants from NSF and US DoE. Computational work was carried out at NERSC in Oakland, California and the National Institute for Computational Sciences in Knoxville, Tennessee.

A Population-Based Assessment of the Agreement Between Grading of Goniophotographic Images and Gonioscopy in the Chinese-American Eye Study (CHES)

PubMed Central

Murakami, Yohko; Wang, Dandan; Burkemper, Bruce; Lin, Shan C.; Varma, Rohit

2016-01-01

Purpose To compare grading of goniophotographic images and gonioscopy in assessing the iridocorneal angle. Methods In a population-based, cross-sectional study, participants underwent gonioscopy and goniophotographic imaging during the same visit. The iridocorneal angle was classified as closed if the posterior trabecular meshwork could not be seen. A single masked observer graded the goniophotographic images, and each eye was classified as having angle closure based on the number of closed quadrants. Agreement between the methods was analyzed by calculating kappa (κ) and first-order agreement coefficient (AC1) statistics and comparison of area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC). Results A total of 4149 Chinese Americans (3994 eyes) were included in this study. The agreement for angle closure diagnosis between gonioscopy and EyeCam was moderate to excellent (κ = 0.60, AC1 0.90, AUC 0.76–0.80). Conclusions Detection of iridocorneal angle closure based on goniophotographic imaging shows moderate to very good agreement with angle closure assessment using gonioscopy. PMID:27571018

Prospective assessment of interobserver agreement for defecography in fecal incontinence.

PubMed

Dobben, Annette C; Wiersma, Tjeerd G; Janssen, Lucas W M; de Vos, Rien; Terra, Maaike P; Baeten, Cor G; Stoker, Jaap

2005-11-01

The primary aim of our study was to determine the interobserver agreement of defecography in diagnosing enterocele, anterior rectocele, intussusception, and anismus in fecal-incontinent patients. The subsidiary aim was to evaluate the influence of level of experience on interpreting defecography. Defecography was performed in 105 consecutive fecal-incontinent patients. Observers were classified by level of experience and their findings were compared with the findings of an expert radiologist. The quality of the expert radiologist's findings was evaluated by an intraobserver agreement procedure. Intraobserver agreement was good to very good except for anismus: incomplete evacuation after 30 sec (kappa, 0.55) and puborectalis impression (kappa, 0.54). Interobserver agreement for enterocele and rectocele was good (kappa, 0.66 for both) and for intussusception, fair (kappa, 0.29). Interobserver agreement for anismus: incomplete evacuation after 30 sec was moderate (kappa, 0.47), and for anismus: puborectalis impression was fair (kappa, 0.24). Agreement in grading of enterocele and rectocele was good (kappa, 0.64 and 0.72, respectively) and for intussusception, fair (kappa, 0.39). Agreement separated by experience level was very good for rectocele (kappa, 0.83) and grading of rectoceles (kappa, 0.83) and moderate for intussusception (kappa, 0.44) at the most experienced level. For enterocele and grading, experience level did not influence the reproducibility. Reproducibility for enterocele, anterior rectocele, and severity grading is good, but for intussusception is fair to moderate. For anismus, the diagnosis of incomplete evacuation after 30 sec is more reproducible than puborectalis impression. The level of experience seems to play a role in diagnosing anterior rectocele and its grading and in diagnosing intussusception.

Effective atomic numbers of some tissue substitutes by different methods: A comparative study.

PubMed

Singh, Vishwanath P; Badiger, N M

2014-01-01

Effective atomic numbers of some human organ tissue substitutes such as polyethylene terephthalate, red articulation wax, paraffin 1, paraffin 2, bolus, pitch, polyphenylene sulfide, polysulfone, polyvinylchloride, and modeling clay have been calculated by four different methods like Auto-Zeff, direct, interpolation, and power law. It was found that the effective atomic numbers computed by Auto-Zeff, direct and interpolation methods were in good agreement for intermediate energy region (0.1 MeV < E < 5 MeV) where the Compton interaction dominates. A large difference in effective atomic numbers by direct method and Auto-Zeff was observed in photo-electric and pair-production regions. Effective atomic numbers computed by power law were found to be close to direct method in photo-electric absorption region. The Auto-Zeff, direct and interpolation methods were found to be in good agreement for computation of effective atomic numbers in intermediate energy region (100 keV < E < 10 MeV). The direct method was found to be appropriate method for computation of effective atomic numbers in photo-electric region (10 keV < E < 100 keV). The tissue equivalence of the tissue substitutes is possible to represent by any method for computation of effective atomic number mentioned in the present study. An accurate estimation of Rayleigh scattering is required to eliminate effect of molecular, chemical, or crystalline environment of the atom for estimation of gamma interaction parameters.

Effective atomic numbers of some tissue substitutes by different methods: A comparative study

PubMed Central

Singh, Vishwanath P.; Badiger, N. M.

2014-01-01

Effective atomic numbers of some human organ tissue substitutes such as polyethylene terephthalate, red articulation wax, paraffin 1, paraffin 2, bolus, pitch, polyphenylene sulfide, polysulfone, polyvinylchloride, and modeling clay have been calculated by four different methods like Auto-Zeff, direct, interpolation, and power law. It was found that the effective atomic numbers computed by Auto-Zeff, direct and interpolation methods were in good agreement for intermediate energy region (0.1 MeV < E < 5 MeV) where the Compton interaction dominates. A large difference in effective atomic numbers by direct method and Auto-Zeff was observed in photo-electric and pair-production regions. Effective atomic numbers computed by power law were found to be close to direct method in photo-electric absorption region. The Auto-Zeff, direct and interpolation methods were found to be in good agreement for computation of effective atomic numbers in intermediate energy region (100 keV < E < 10 MeV). The direct method was found to be appropriate method for computation of effective atomic numbers in photo-electric region (10 keV < E < 100 keV). The tissue equivalence of the tissue substitutes is possible to represent by any method for computation of effective atomic number mentioned in the present study. An accurate estimation of Rayleigh scattering is required to eliminate effect of molecular, chemical, or crystalline environment of the atom for estimation of gamma interaction parameters. PMID:24600169

Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a “cocktail” of non-tumourous elements is a reliable, quick and easy technique for inferring methylation status in glioblastomas and other primary brain tumours

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Our aim was to develop a new protocol for MGMT immunohistochemistry with good agreement between observers and good correlation with molecular genetic tests of tumour methylation. We examined 40 primary brain tumours (30 glioblastomas and 10 oligodendroglial tumours) with our new technique, namely double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a "cocktail" of non-tumour antigens (CD34, CD45 and CD68). We compared the results with single-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA, a recognised molecular genetic technique which we applied as the gold-standard for the methylation status). Results Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT produced a visual separation of tumourous and non-tumourous elements on the same histological slide, making it quick and easy to determine whether tumour cell nuclei were MGMT-positive or MGMT-negative (and thereby infer the methylation status of the tumour). We found good agreement between observers (kappa 0.76) and within observer (kappa 0.84). Furthermore, double-labelling showed good specificity (80%), sensitivity (73.33%), positive predictive value (PPV, 83.33%) and negative predictive value (NPV, 68.75%) compared to MS-MLPA. Double-labelling was quicker and easier to assess than single-labelling and it outperformed quantitative computerised image analysis of MGMT single-labelling in terms of sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV. Conclusions Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a cocktail of non-tumourous elements provides a "one look" method for determining whether tumour cell nuclei are MGMT-positive or MGMT-negative. This can be used to infer the methylation status of the tumour. There is good observer agreement and good specificity, sensitivity, PPV and NPV compared to a molecular gold-standard. PMID:24252243

Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a "cocktail" of non-tumourous elements is a reliable, quick and easy technique for inferring methylation status in glioblastomas and other primary brain tumours.

PubMed

Burke, Elinor; Grobler, Mariana; Elderfield, Kay; Bond, Frances; Crocker, Matthew; Taylor, Rohan; Bridges, Leslie R

2013-06-10

Our aim was to develop a new protocol for MGMT immunohistochemistry with good agreement between observers and good correlation with molecular genetic tests of tumour methylation. We examined 40 primary brain tumours (30 glioblastomas and 10 oligodendroglial tumours) with our new technique, namely double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a "cocktail" of non-tumour antigens (CD34, CD45 and CD68). We compared the results with single-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA, a recognised molecular genetic technique which we applied as the gold-standard for the methylation status). Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT produced a visual separation of tumourous and non-tumourous elements on the same histological slide, making it quick and easy to determine whether tumour cell nuclei were MGMT-positive or MGMT-negative (and thereby infer the methylation status of the tumour). We found good agreement between observers (kappa 0.76) and within observer (kappa 0.84). Furthermore, double-labelling showed good specificity (80%), sensitivity (73.33%), positive predictive value (PPV, 83.33%) and negative predictive value (NPV, 68.75%) compared to MS-MLPA. Double-labelling was quicker and easier to assess than single-labelling and it outperformed quantitative computerised image analysis of MGMT single-labelling in terms of sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV. Double-labelling immunohistochemistry for MGMT and a cocktail of non-tumourous elements provides a "one look" method for determining whether tumour cell nuclei are MGMT-positive or MGMT-negative. This can be used to infer the methylation status of the tumour. There is good observer agreement and good specificity, sensitivity, PPV and NPV compared to a molecular gold-standard.

Electronic Versus Manual Data Processing: Evaluating the Use of Electronic Health Records in Out-of-Hospital Clinical Research

PubMed Central

Newgard, Craig D.; Zive, Dana; Jui, Jonathan; Weathers, Cody; Daya, Mohamud

2011-01-01

Objectives To compare case ascertainment, agreement, validity, and missing values for clinical research data obtained, processed, and linked electronically from electronic health records (EHR), compared to “manual” data processing and record abstraction in a cohort of out-ofhospital trauma patients. Methods This was a secondary analysis of two sets of data collected for a prospective, population-based, out-of-hospital trauma cohort evaluated by 10 emergency medical services (EMS) agencies transporting to 16 hospitals, from January 1, 2006 through October 2, 2007. Eighteen clinical, operational, procedural, and outcome variables were collected and processed separately and independently using two parallel data processing strategies, by personnel blinded to patients in the other group. The electronic approach included electronic health record data exports from EMS agencies, reformatting and probabilistic linkage to outcomes from local trauma registries and state discharge databases. The manual data processing approach included chart matching, data abstraction, and data entry by a trained abstractor. Descriptive statistics, measures of agreement, and validity were used to compare the two approaches to data processing. Results During the 21-month period, 418 patients underwent both data processing methods and formed the primary cohort. Agreement was good to excellent (kappa 0.76 to 0.97; intraclass correlation coefficient 0.49 to 0.97), with exact agreement in 67% to 99% of cases, and a median difference of zero for all continuous and ordinal variables. The proportions of missing out-of-hospital values were similar between the two approaches, although electronic processing generated more missing outcomes (87 out of 418, 21%, 95% CI = 17% to 25%) than the manual approach (11 out of 418, 3%, 95% CI = 1% to 5%). Case ascertainment of eligible injured patients was greater using electronic methods (n = 3,008) compared to manual methods (n = 629). Conclusions In this sample of out-of-hospital trauma patients, an all-electronic data processing strategy identified more patients and generated values with good agreement and validity compared to traditional data collection and processing methods. PMID:22320373

Performance of Four Frailty Classifications in Older Patients With Cancer: Prospective Elderly Cancer Patients Cohort Study.

PubMed

Ferrat, Emilie; Paillaud, Elena; Caillet, Philippe; Laurent, Marie; Tournigand, Christophe; Lagrange, Jean-Léon; Droz, Jean-Pierre; Balducci, Lodovico; Audureau, Etienne; Canouï-Poitrine, Florence; Bastuji-Garin, Sylvie

2017-03-01

Purpose Frailty classifications of older patients with cancer have been developed to assist physicians in selecting cancer treatments and geriatric interventions. They have not been compared, and their performance in predicting outcomes has not been assessed. Our objectives were to assess agreement among four classifications and to compare their predictive performance in a large cohort of in- and outpatients with various cancers. Patients and Methods We prospectively included 1,021 patients age 70 years or older who had solid or hematologic malignancies and underwent a geriatric assessment in one of two French teaching hospitals between 2007 and 2012. Among them, 763 were assessed using four classifications: Balducci, International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) 1, SIOG2, and a latent class typology. Agreement was assessed using the κ statistic. Outcomes were 1-year mortality and 6-month unscheduled admissions. Results All four classifications had good discrimination for 1-year mortality (C-index ≥ 0.70); discrimination was best with SIOG1. For 6-month unscheduled admissions, discrimination was good with all four classifications (C-index ≥ 0.70). For classification into three (fit, vulnerable, or frail) or two categories (fit v vulnerable or frail and fit or vulnerable v frail), agreement among the four classifications ranged from very poor (κ ≤ 0.20) to good (0.60 < κ ≤ 0.80). Agreement was best between SIOG1 and the latent class typology and between SIOG1 and Balducci. Conclusion These four frailty classifications have good prognostic performance among older in- and outpatients with various cancers. They may prove useful in decision making about cancer treatments and geriatric interventions and/or in stratifying older patients with cancer in clinical trials.

On the nature of the fragment environment created by the range destruction or random failure of solid rocket motor casings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eck, M.; Mukunda, M.

1988-01-01

Given here are predictions of fragment velocities and azimuths resulting from the Space Transportation System Solid Rocket Motor range destruct, or random failure occurring at any time during the 120 seconds of Solid Rocket Motor burn. Results obtained using the analytical methods described showed good agreement between predictions and observations for two specific events. It was shown that these methods have good potential for use in predicting the fragmentation process of a number of generically similar casing systems. It was concluded that coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian calculational methods of the type described here provide a powerful tool for predicting Solid Rocket Motor response.

Assessing distractors and teamwork during surgery: developing an event-based method for direct observation.

PubMed

Seelandt, Julia C; Tschan, Franziska; Keller, Sandra; Beldi, Guido; Jenni, Nadja; Kurmann, Anita; Candinas, Daniel; Semmer, Norbert K

2014-11-01

To develop a behavioural observation method to simultaneously assess distractors and communication/teamwork during surgical procedures through direct, on-site observations; to establish the reliability of the method for long (>3 h) procedures. Observational categories for an event-based coding system were developed based on expert interviews, observations and a literature review. Using Cohen's κ and the intraclass correlation coefficient, interobserver agreement was assessed for 29 procedures. Agreement was calculated for the entire surgery, and for the 1st hour. In addition, interobserver agreement was assessed between two tired observers and between a tired and a non-tired observer after 3 h of surgery. The observational system has five codes for distractors (door openings, noise distractors, technical distractors, side conversations and interruptions), eight codes for communication/teamwork (case-relevant communication, teaching, leadership, problem solving, case-irrelevant communication, laughter, tension and communication with external visitors) and five contextual codes (incision, last stitch, personnel changes in the sterile team, location changes around the table and incidents). Based on 5-min intervals, Cohen's κ was good to excellent for distractors (0.74-0.98) and for communication/teamwork (0.70-1). Based on frequency counts, intraclass correlation coefficient was excellent for distractors (0.86-0.99) and good to excellent for communication/teamwork (0.45-0.99). After 3 h of surgery, Cohen's κ was 0.78-0.93 for distractors, and 0.79-1 for communication/teamwork. The observational method developed allows a single observer to simultaneously assess distractors and communication/teamwork. Even for long procedures, high interobserver agreement can be achieved. Data collected with this method allow for investigating separate or combined effects of distractions and communication/teamwork on surgical performance and patient outcomes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Agreement between clinical estimation and a new quantitative analysis by Photoshop software in fundus and angiographic image variables.

PubMed

Ramezani, Alireza; Ahmadieh, Hamid; Azarmina, Mohsen; Soheilian, Masoud; Dehghan, Mohammad H; Mohebbi, Mohammad R

2009-12-01

To evaluate the validity of a new method for the quantitative analysis of fundus or angiographic images using Photoshop 7.0 (Adobe, USA) software by comparing with clinical evaluation. Four hundred and eighteen fundus and angiographic images of diabetic patients were evaluated by three retina specialists and then by computing using Photoshop 7.0 software. Four variables were selected for comparison: amount of hard exudates (HE) on color pictures, amount of HE on red-free pictures, severity of leakage, and the size of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ). The coefficient of agreement (Kappa) between the two methods in the amount of HE on color and red-free photographs were 85% (0.69) and 79% (0.59), respectively. The agreement for severity of leakage was 72% (0.46). In the two methods for the evaluation of the FAZ size using the magic and lasso software tools, the agreement was 54% (0.09) and 89% (0.77), respectively. Agreement in the estimation of the FAZ size by the lasso magnetic tool was excellent and was almost as good in the quantification of HE on color and on red-free images. Considering the agreement of this new technique for the measurement of variables in fundus images using Photoshop software with the clinical evaluation, this method seems to have sufficient validity to be used for the quantitative analysis of HE, leakage, and FAZ size on the angiograms of diabetic patients.

Cross Validation of Two Partitioning-Based Sampling Approaches in Mesocosms Containing PCB Contaminated Field Sediment, Biota, and Activated Carbon Amendment.

PubMed

Schmidt, Stine N; Wang, Alice P; Gidley, Philip T; Wooley, Allyson H; Lotufo, Guilherme R; Burgess, Robert M; Ghosh, Upal; Fernandez, Loretta A; Mayer, Philipp

2017-09-05

The Gold Standard for determining freely dissolved concentrations (C free ) of hydrophobic organic compounds in sediment interstitial water would be in situ deployment combined with equilibrium sampling, which is generally difficult to achieve. In the present study, ex situ equilibrium sampling with multiple thicknesses of silicone and in situ pre-equilibrium sampling with low density polyethylene (LDPE) loaded with performance reference compounds were applied independently to measure polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in mesocosms with (1) New Bedford Harbor sediment (MA, U.S.A.), (2) sediment and biota, and (3) activated carbon amended sediment and biota. The aim was to cross validate the two different sampling approaches. Around 100 PCB congeners were quantified in the two sampling polymers, and the results confirmed the good precision of both methods and were in overall good agreement with recently published LDPE to silicone partition ratios. Further, the methods yielded C free in good agreement for all three experiments. The average ratio between C free determined by the two methods was factor 1.4 ± 0.3 (range: 0.6-2.0), and the results thus cross-validated the two sampling approaches. For future investigations, specific aims and requirements in terms of application, data treatment, and data quality requirements should dictate the selection of the most appropriate partitioning-based sampling approach.

Application of differential transformation method for solving dengue transmission mathematical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ndii, Meksianis Z.; Anggriani, Nursanti; Supriatna, Asep K.

2018-03-01

The differential transformation method (DTM) is a semi-analytical numerical technique which depends on Taylor series and has application in many areas including Biomathematics. The aim of this paper is to employ the differential transformation method (DTM) to solve system of non-linear differential equations for dengue transmission mathematical model. Analytical and numerical solutions are determined and the results are compared to that of Runge-Kutta method. We found a good agreement between DTM and Runge-Kutta method.

Multimodal method for scattering of sound at a sudden area expansion in a duct with subsonic flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kooijman, G.; Testud, P.; Aurégan, Y.; Hirschberg, A.

2008-03-01

The scattering of sound at a sudden area expansion in a duct with subsonic mean flow has been modelled with a multimodal method. Technological applications are for instance internal combustion engine exhaust silencers and silencers in industrial duct systems. Both two-dimensional (2D) rectangular and 2D cylindrical geometry and uniform mean flow as well as non-uniform mean flow profiles are considered. Model results for the scattering of plane waves in case of uniform flow, in which case an infinitely thin shear layer is formed downstream of the area expansion, are compared to results obtained by other models in literature. Generally good agreement is found. Furthermore, model results for the scattering are compared to experimental data found in literature. Also here fairly good correspondence is observed. When employing a turbulent pipe flow profile in the model, instead of a uniform flow profile, the prediction for the downstream transmission- and upstream reflection coefficient is improved. However, worse agreement is observed for the upstream transmission and downstream reflection coefficient. On the contrary, employing a non-uniform jet flow profile, which represents a typical shear layer flow downstream of the expansion, gives worse agreement for the downstream transmission- and the upstream reflection coefficient, whereas prediction for the upstream transmission and downstream reflection coefficient improves.

Hall viscosity of hierarchical quantum Hall states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fremling, M.; Hansson, T. H.; Suorsa, J.

2014-03-01

Using methods based on conformal field theory, we construct model wave functions on a torus with arbitrary flat metric for all chiral states in the abelian quantum Hall hierarchy. These functions have no variational parameters, and they transform under the modular group in the same way as the multicomponent generalizations of the Laughlin wave functions. Assuming the absence of Berry phases upon adiabatic variations of the modular parameter τ, we calculate the quantum Hall viscosity and find it to be in agreement with the formula, given by Read, which relates the viscosity to the average orbital spin of the electrons. For the filling factor ν =2/5 Jain state, which is at the second level in the hierarchy, we compare our model wave function with the numerically obtained ground state of the Coulomb interaction Hamiltonian in the lowest Landau level, and find very good agreement in a large region of the complex τ plane. For the same example, we also numerically compute the Hall viscosity and find good agreement with the analytical result for both the model wave function and the numerically obtained Coulomb wave function. We argue that this supports the notion of a generalized plasma analogy that would ensure that wave functions obtained using the conformal field theory methods do not acquire Berry phases upon adiabatic evolution.

Semiclassical approaches to nuclear dynamics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Magner, A. G., E-mail: magner@kinr.kiev.ua; Gorpinchenko, D. V.; Bartel, J.

The extended Gutzwiller trajectory approach is presented for the semiclassical description of nuclear collective dynamics, in line with the main topics of the fruitful activity of V.G. Solovjov. Within the Fermi-liquid droplet model, the leptodermous effective surface approximation was applied to calculations of energies, sum rules, and transition densities for the neutron–proton asymmetry of the isovector giant-dipole resonance and found to be in good agreement with the experimental data. By using the Strutinsky shell correction method, the semiclassical collective transport coefficients, such as nuclear inertia, friction, stiffness, and moments of inertia, can be derived beyond the quantum perturbation approximation ofmore » the response function theory and the cranking model. The averaged particle-number dependences of the low-lying collective vibrational states are described in good agreement with the basic experimental data, mainly due to the enhancement of the collective inertia as compared to its irrotational flow value. Shell components of the moment of inertia are derived in terms of the periodic-orbit free-energy shell corrections. A good agreement between the semiclassical extended Thomas–Fermi moments of inertia with shell corrections and the quantum results is obtained for different nuclear deformations and particle numbers. Shell effects are shown to be exponentially dampted out with increasing temperature in all the transport coefficients.« less

LC-NMR Technique in the Analysis of Phytosterols in Natural Extracts

PubMed Central

Horník, Štěpán; Sajfrtová, Marie; Sýkora, Jan; Březinová, Anna; Wimmer, Zdeněk

2013-01-01

The ability of LC-NMR to detect simultaneously free and conjugated phytosterols in natural extracts was tested. The advantages and disadvantages of a gradient HPLC-NMR method were compared to the fast composition screening using SEC-NMR method. Fractions of free and conjugated phytosterols were isolated and analyzed by isocratic HPLC-NMR methods. The results of qualitative and quantitative analyses were in a good agreement with the literature data. PMID:24455424

Left ventricular mass and hypertrophy by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

PubMed Central

Armstrong, Anderson C.; Gjesdal, Ola; Almeida, André; Nacif, Marcelo; Wu, Colin; Bluemke, David A.; Brumback, Lyndia; Lima, João A. C.

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND Left ventricular mass (LVM) and hypertrophy (LVH) are important parameters, but their use is surrounded by controversies. We compare LVM by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), investigating reproducibility aspects and the effect of echocardiography image quality. We also compare indexing methods within and between imaging modalities for classification of LVH and cardiovascular risk. METHODS MESA enrolled 880 participants in Baltimore City; 146 had echocardiograms and CMR on the same day. LVM was then assessed using standard techniques. Echocardiography image quality was rated (good/limited) according to the parasternal view. LVH was defined after indexing LVM to body surface area, height1.7, height2.7, or by the predicted LVM from a reference group. Participants were classified for cardiovascular risk according to Framingham score. Pearson’s correlation, Bland-Altman plots, percent agreement, and kappa coefficient assessed agreement within and between modalities. RESULTS LVM by echocardiography (140 ± 40 g) and by CMR were correlated (r = 0.8, p < 0.001) regardless of the echocardiography image quality. The reproducibility profile had strong correlations and agreement for both modalities. Image quality groups had similar characteristics; those with good images compared to CMR slightly superiorly. The prevalence of LVH tended to be higher with higher cardiovascular risk. The agreement for LVH between imaging modalities ranged from 77% to 98% and the kappa coefficient from 0.10 to 0.76. CONCLUSIONS Echocardiography has a reliable performance for LVM assessment and classification of LVH, with limited influence of image quality. Echocardiography and CMR differ in the assessment of LVH, and additional differences rise from the indexing methods. PMID:23930739

Development and testing of an automated computer tablet-based method for self-testing of high and low contrast near visual acuity in ophthalmic patients.

PubMed

Aslam, Tariq M; Parry, Neil R A; Murray, Ian J; Salleh, Mahani; Col, Caterina Dal; Mirza, Naznin; Czanner, Gabriela; Tahir, Humza J

2016-05-01

Many eye diseases require on-going assessment for optimal management, creating an ever-increasing burden on patients and hospitals that could potentially be reduced through home vision monitoring. However, there is limited evidence for the utility of current applications and devices for this. To address this, we present a new automated, computer tablet-based method for self-testing near visual acuity (VA) for both high and low contrast targets. We report on its reliability and agreement with gold standard measures. The Mobile Assessment of Vision by intERactIve Computer (MAVERIC) system consists of a calibrated computer tablet housed in a bespoke viewing chamber. Purpose-built software automatically elicits touch-screen responses from subjects to measure their near VA for either low or high contrast acuity. Near high contrast acuity was measured using both the MAVERIC system and a near Landolt C chart in one eye for 81 patients and low contrast acuity using the MAVERIC system and a 25 % contrast near EDTRS chart in one eye of a separate 95 patients. The MAVERIC near acuity was also retested after 20 min to evaluate repeatability. Repeatability of both high and low contrast MAVERIC acuity measures, and their agreement with the chart tests, was assessed using the Bland-Altman comparison method. One hundred and seventy-three patients (96 %) completed the self- testing MAVERIC system without formal assistance. The resulting MAVERIC vision demonstrated good repeatability and good agreement with the gold-standard near chart measures. This study demonstrates the potential utility of the MAVERIC system for patients with ophthalmic disease to self-test their high and low contrast VA. The technique has a high degree of reliability and agreement with gold standard chart based measurements.

Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx--A fully automated assay for both diagnosis and quantification of HIV-1.

PubMed

Nair, Sangeetha Vijaysri; Kim, Hee Cheol; Fortunko, Jacqueline; Foote, Tracy; Peling, Tashi; Tran, Cuong; Nugent, Charles Thomas; Joo, Sunghae; Kang, Youna; Wilkins, Bana; Lednovich, Kristen; Worlock, Andrew

2016-04-01

Separate assays are available for diagnosis and viral load (VL) monitoring of HIV-1. Studies have shown that using a single test for both confirmatory diagnosis and VL increases linkage to care. To validate a single assay for both diagnosis and VL monitoring of HIV-1 on the fully automated Panther platform. Validate the assay by assessing specificity, sensitivity, subtype detection, seroconversion, reproducibility and linearity. Also assess diagnostic agreement with the Procleix(®) Ultrio Elite™ discriminatory assay (Procleix), and agreement of VL results (method comparison) with Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 version 2.0 (CAP/CTM), using clinical samples. The assay was specific (100%) and sensitive with a 95% limit of detection of 12 copies/mL with the 3rd WHO standards. Aptima detected HIV in seroconversion panels 6 and 11 days before p24 antigen and antibody tests, respectively. Diagnostic agreement with Procleix, was 100%. Regression analysis showed good agreement of VL results between Aptima and CAP/CTM with a slope of 1.02, intercept of 0.07, and correlation coefficient (R(2)) of 0.97. Aptima was more sensitive than CAP/CTM. Equivalent quantification was seen on testing clinical samples and isolates belonging to HIV group M, N, O and P and commercially available subtype panels. Assay results were linear (R(2) 0.9994) with standard deviation of <0.17 log copies across assay range. The good specificity, sensitivity, precision, subtype performance and clinical agreement with other assays demonstrated by Aptima combined with the complete automation provided by the Panther platform makes Aptima a good candidate for both VL monitoring and diagnosis of HIV-1. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interobserver Agreement on Endoscopic Classification of Oesophageal Varices in Children.

PubMed

D'Antiga, Lorenzo; Betalli, Pietro; De Angelis, Paola; Davenport, Mark; Di Giorgio, Angelo; McKiernan, Patrick J; McLin, Valerie; Ravelli, Paolo; Durmaz, Ozlem; Talbotec, Cecile; Sturm, Ekkehard; Woynarowski, Marek; Burroughs, Andrew K

2015-08-01

Data regarding agreement on endoscopic features of oesophageal varices in children with portal hypertension (PH) are scant. The aim of this study was to evaluate endoscopic visualisation and classification of oesophageal varices in children by several European clinicians, to build a rational basis for future multicentre trials. Endoscopic pictures of the distal oesophagus of 100 children with a clinical diagnosis of PH were distributed to 10 endoscopists. Observers were requested to classify variceal size according to a 3-degree scale (small, medium, and large, class A), a 2-degree scale (small and large, class B), and to recognise red wales (presence or absence, class Red). Overall agreement was considered fair if Fleiss and Cohen κ test was ≥0.30, good if ≥0.40, excellent if ≥0.60, and perfect if ≥0.80. Agreement between observers was fair with class A (κ = 0.34) and class B (κ = 0.38), and good with class Red (κ = 0.49). The agreement was good on presence versus absence of varices (class A = 0.53, class B = 0.48). The agreement among the observers was good in class A when endoscopic features of severe PH (medium and large sizes, red marks) were grouped and compared with mild features (absent and small varices) (κ = 0.58). Experts working in different centres show a fairly good agreement on endoscopic features of PH in children, although a better training of paediatric endoscopists may improve the agreement in grading severity of varices in this setting.

Relative loading on biplane wings of unequal chords

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diehl, Walter S

1935-01-01

It is shown that the lift distribution for a biplane with unequal chords may be calculated by the method developed in NACA Technical report no. 458 if corrections are made for the inequality in chord lengths. The method is applied to four cases in which the upper chord was greater than the lower and good agreement is obtained between observed and calculated lift coefficients.

The lattice Boltzmann method and the problem of turbulence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Djenidi, L.

2015-03-10

This paper reports a brief review of numerical simulations of homogeneous isotopic turbulence (HIT) using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The LBM results shows that the details of HIT are well captured and in agreement with existing data. This clearly indicates that the LBM is as good as current Navier-Stokes solvers and is very much adequate for investigating the problem of turbulence.

Ex-vivo Assessment of Coronary Artery Atherosclerosis by Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Correlation with Histopathology

PubMed Central

Gomes, Everli P. S. Gonçalves; Rochitte, Carlos Eduardo; Azevedo, Clerio F.; Lemos, Pedro A.; Gutierrez, Paulo Sampaio; César, Luiz Antonio M.

2014-01-01

Introduction: In recent years, high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as a very promising technique for studying atherosclerotic disease in humans. Aim: In the present study we sought to determine whether MRI allowed for the morphological characterization of the coronary vessel wall and atherosclerotic plaques using histopathological assessment as the reference standard. Methods: The study population consisted of 13 patients who died of acute myocardial infarction and underwent autopsy. The proximal portions of the coronary arteries were excised and were evaluated both by MRI and by histopathology. For each arterial segment, the following parameters were calculated through manual planimetry: 1. total vessel area (TVA); 2. luminal area (LA) and 3. plaque area (PA). Results: A total of 207 coronary artery cross-sections were found to be suitable for analysis by both MRI and histopathology and were included in the final analyses. Both methods demonstrated moderate to good agreement for the quantification of TVA (mean difference = 2.4±2.4 mm2, 95‰ limits of agreement from -2.4 to +7.2 mm2; CCC = 0.69, 95‰ CI from 0.63 to 0.75), LA (mean difference = 0.0±1.7 mm2, 95‰ limits of agreement from -3.3 to + 3.3 mm2; CCC = 0.84, 95‰ CI from 0.80 to 0.88) and PA (mean difference = 2.4±2.4 mm2, 95‰ limits of agreement from -2.3 to + 7.1 mm2; CCC = 0.64, 95‰ CI from 0.58 to 0.71). Conclusion: In this ex vivo experimental model we demonstrated good agreement between coronary artery morphometrical measurements obtained by high-resolution MRI and by histopathology. PMID:24847387

Solution state NMR of lignins

Treesearch

John Ralph; Jane M. Marita; Sally A. Ralph; Ronald D. Hatfield; Fachuang Lu; Richard M. Ede; Junpeng Peng; Larry L. Landucci

1999-01-01

Despite the rather random and heterogeneous nature of isolated lignins, many of their intimate structural details are revealed by diagnostic NMR experiments. 13C-NMR was recognized early-on as a high-resolution method for detailed structural characterization, aided by the almost exact agreement between chemical shifts of carbons in good low-molecular...

The maximum depth of shower with E sub 0 larger than 10(17) eV on average characteristics of EAS different components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glushkov, A. V.; Efimov, N. N.; Makarov, I. T.; Pravdin, M. I.; Dedenko, L. G.

1985-01-01

The extensive air shower (EAS) development model independent method of the determination of a maximum depth of shower (X sub m) is considered. X sub m values obtained on various EAS parameters are in a good agreement.

Accuracy of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography for estimating residual tumor size after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer: a feasibility study.

PubMed

Barra, Filipe Ramos; de Souza, Fernanda Freire; Camelo, Rosimara Eva Ferreira Almeida; Ribeiro, Andrea Campos de Oliveira; Farage, Luciano

2017-01-01

To assess the feasibility of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) of the breast for assessing the size of residual tumors after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). In breast cancer patients who underwent NAC between 2011 and 2013, we evaluated residual tumor measurements obtained with CESM and full-field digital mammography (FFDM). We determined the concordance between the methods, as well as their level of agreement with the pathology. Three radiologists analyzed eight CESM and FFDM measurements separately, considering the size of the residual tumor at its largest diameter and correlating it with that determined in the pathological analysis. Interobserver agreement was also evaluated. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were higher for CESM than for FFDM (83.33%, 100%, 100%, and 66% vs. 50%, 50%, 50%, and 25%, respectively). The CESM measurements showed a strong, consistent correlation with the pathological findings (correlation coefficient = 0.76-0.92; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.692-0.886). The correlation between the FFDM measurements and the pathological findings was not statistically significant, with questionable consistency (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.488-0.598). Agreement with the pathological findings was narrower for CESM measurements than for FFDM measurements. Interobserver agreement was higher for CESM than for FFDM (0.94 vs. 0.88). CESM is a feasible means of evaluating residual tumor size after NAC, showing a good correlation and good agreement with pathological findings. For CESM measurements, the interobserver agreement was excellent.

[Electronic spectra of triphenodioxazines dyes by modified PPP-MO method].

PubMed

Wang, Xue-jie

2002-02-01

The triphenodioxazines dyes have good colour and luster, excellent colour fastness to light, and strong painted. They are used as the dyes and pigment extensively, and also be used as the photoelectronic transformation, laser dyes and far-infrared anti-radiation material. The colour and constitution of triphenodioxazines dyes were evaluated by means of the modified PPP-SCF-MO method with variable R, beta approximation. The calculated wavelengths of maximum absorption are in good agreement with experimental results. It was found that there exists a good correlated relationship between the wavenumber of fluorescence maximum nu fl and the calculated fluorescence emission energy delta Efl, as nu fl = 11.6837 delta Efl + 3.3485(k.cm-1), r = 0.9547. The relationship between structure of molecular and properties of electronic spectra has been discussed.

LEAKAGE CHARACTERISTICS OF BASE OF RIVERBANK BY SELF POTENTIAL METHOD AND EXAMINATION OF EFFECTIVENESS OF SELF POTENTIAL METHOD TO HEALTH MONITORING OF BASE OF RIVERBANK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, Kensaku; Okada, Takashi; Takeuchi, Atsuo; Yazawa, Masato; Uchibori, Sumio; Shimizu, Yoshihiko

Field Measurement of Self Potential Method using Copper Sulfate Electrode was performed in base of riverbank in WATARASE River, where has leakage problem to examine leakage characteristics. Measurement results showed typical S-shape what indicates existence of flow groundwater. The results agreed with measurement results by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport with good accuracy. Results of 1m depth ground temperature detection and Chain-Array detection showed good agreement with results of the Self Potential Method. Correlation between Self Potential value and groundwater velocity was examined model experiment. The result showed apparent correlation. These results indicate that the Self Potential Method was effective method to examine the characteristics of ground water of base of riverbank in leakage problem.

Double-pulse digital speckle pattern interferometry for vibration analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dazhi; Xue, Jingfeng; Chen, Lu; Wen, Juying; Wang, Jingjing

2014-12-01

The double-pulse Digital Speckle Pattern Interferometry (DSPI) in the laboratory is established. Two good performances have been achieved at the same time, which is uniform distribution of laser beam energy by space filter and recording two successive pictures by a CCD camera successfully. Then two-dimensional discrete orthogonal wavelet transform method is used for the process of filtering method. By using the DSPI, speckle pattern of a vibrated object is obtained with interval of (2~800)μs, and 3D plot of the transient vibration is achieved. Moreover, good agreements of the mode shapes and displacement are obtained by comparing with Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) .

Intramodality and intermodality agreement in radiography and computed tomography of equine distal limb fractures.

PubMed

Crijns, C P; Martens, A; Bergman, H-J; van der Veen, H; Duchateau, L; van Bree, H J J; Gielen, I M V L

2014-01-01

Computed tomography (CT) is increasingly accessible in equine referral hospitals. To document the level of agreement within and between radiography and CT in characterising equine distal limb fractures. Retrospective descriptive study. Images from horses that underwent radiographic and CT evaluation for suspected distal limb fractures were reviewed, including 27 horses and 3 negative controls. Using Cohen's kappa and weighted kappa analysis, the level of agreement among 4 observers for a predefined set of diagnostic characteristics for radiography and CT separately and for the level of agreement between the 2 imaging modalities were documented. Both CT and radiography had very good intramodality agreement in identifying fractures, but intermodality agreement was lower. There was good intermodality and intramodality agreement for anatomical localisation and the identification of fracture displacement. Agreement for articular involvement, fracture comminution and fracture fragment number was towards the lower limit of good agreement. There was poor to fair intermodality agreement regarding fracture orientation, fracture width and coalescing cracks; intramodality agreement was higher for CT than for radiography for these features. Further studies, including comparisons with surgical and/or post mortem findings, are required to determine the sensitivity and specificity of CT and radiography in the diagnosis and characterisation of equine distal limb fractures. © 2013 EVJ Ltd.

Photoionization using the xchem approach: Total and partial cross sections of Ne and resonance parameters above the 2 s22 p5 threshold

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marante, Carlos; Klinker, Markus; Kjellsson, Tor; Lindroth, Eva; González-Vázquez, Jesús; Argenti, Luca; Martín, Fernando

2017-08-01

The XCHEM approach interfaces well established quantum chemistry packages with scattering numerical methods in order to describe single-ionization processes in atoms and molecules. This should allow one to describe electron correlation in the continuum at the same level of accuracy as quantum chemistry methods do for bound states. Here we have applied this method to study multichannel photoionization of Ne in the vicinity of the autoionizing states lying between the 2 s22 p5 and 2 s 2 p6 ionization thresholds. The calculated total photoionization cross sections are in very good agreement with the absolute measurement of Samson et al. [J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom. 123, 265 (2002), 10.1016/S0368-2048(02)00026-9], and with independent benchmark calculations performed at the same level of theory. From these cross sections, we have extracted resonance positions, total autoionization widths, Fano profile parameters, and correlation parameters for the lowest three autoionizing states. The values of these parameters are in good agreement with those reported in earlier theoretical and experimental work. We have also evaluated β asymmetry parameter and partial photoionization cross sections and, from the latter, partial autoionization widths and Starace parameters for the same resonances, not yet available in the literature. Resonant features in the calculated β parameter are in good agreement with the experimental observations. We have found that the three lowest resonances preferentially decay into the 2 p-1ɛ d continuum rather than into the 2 p-1ɛ s one [Phys. Rev. A 89, 043415 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevA.89.043415], in agreement with previous expectations, and that in the vicinity of the resonances the partial 2 p-1ɛ s cross section can be larger than the 2 p-1ɛ d one, in contrast with the accepted idea that the latter should amply dominate in the whole energy range. These results show the potential of the XCHEM approach to describe highly correlated process in the ionization continuum of many-electron systems, in particular molecules, for which the XCHEM code has been specifically designed.

[Comparison of anterior chamber angle examination by UBM, SL-OCT and gonioscopy].

PubMed

Liu, Rui-jue; Wang, Men; Xia, Wen-tao; Yu, Xiao-ying; Chen, Jie-min; Zhou, Shu; Peng, Shu-ya; Liu, Dong-mei

2014-08-01

To compare the agreement of anterior chamber angle examination by ultrasound biomicroscope (UBM), slit lamp optical coherence tomography (SL-OCT), and gonioscopy in angle recession and angle closure. The anterior chamber angle was measured with UBM, SL-OCT and gonioscopy in turns for temporal, nasal, superior and inferior quadrant in the same dark room. The results were compared with the agreement of the three methods in angle recession and angle closure by χ2 test and Kappa test. There were no statistically significant differences of the three methods in testing angle closure and angle recession (P>0.05). The consistency of UBM and gonioscopy was better (Kappa value of 0.882) than that of SL-OCT and gonioscopy (Kappa value of 0.624). When testing angle recession, UBM is better than SL-OCT with gonioscopy as the standard. When testing angle closure, UBM, SL-OCT and gonioscopy have good agreement.

Extraction of shear viscosity in stationary states of relativistic particle systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reining, F.; Bouras, I.; El, A.; Wesp, C.; Xu, Z.; Greiner, C.

2012-02-01

Starting from a classical picture of shear viscosity we construct a stationary velocity gradient in a microscopic parton cascade. Employing the Navier-Stokes ansatz we extract the shear viscosity coefficient η. For elastic isotropic scatterings we find an excellent agreement with the analytic values. This confirms the applicability of this method. Furthermore, for both elastic and inelastic scatterings with pQCD based cross sections we extract the shear viscosity coefficient η for a pure gluonic system and find a good agreement with already published calculations.

Absolute extinction and the influence of environment - Dark cloud sight lines toward VCT 10, 30, and Walker 67

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cardelli, Jason A.; Clayton, Geoffrey C.

1991-01-01

The range of validity of the average absolute extinction law (AAEL) proposed by Cardelli et al. (1988 and 1989) is investigated, combining published visible and NIR data with IUE UV observations for three lines of sight through dense dark cloud environments with high values of total-to-selective extinction. The characteristics of the data sets and the reduction and parameterization methods applied are described in detail, and the results are presented in extensive tables and graphs. Good agreement with the AAEL is demonstrated for wavelengths from 3.4 microns to 250 nm, but significant deviations are found at shorter wavelengths (where previous studies of lines of sight through bright nebulosity found good agreement with the AAEL). These differences are attributed to the effects of coatings on small-bump and FUV grains.

Stereoselective green synthesis and molecular structures of highly functionalized spirooxindole-pyrrolidine hybrids - A combined experimental and theoretical investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Raju Suresh; Almansour, Abdulrahman I.; Arumugam, Natarajan; Soliman, Saied M.; Kumar, Raju Ranjith; Altaf, Mohammad; Ghabbour, Hazem A.; Krishnamoorthy, Bellie Sundaram

2018-01-01

Highly functionalized spirooxindole-pyrrolidine hybrids have been synthesized stereoselectively through a [3 + 2] cycloaddition strategy in an ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([bmim]Br). The structure of these spiro heterocyclic hybrids was elucidated using one and two dimensional NMR spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray crystallographic studies and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. The calculated geometric parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data obtained from the X-ray structures. The Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) calculations on these molecules confirm the electron rich carbonyl oxygen and electron deficient NH groups. The 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts calculated using GIAO method are in good agreement with the experimental data. The DFT computed polarizability values also suggest the possible NLO activity of these molecules.

Power-law scaling of plasma pressure on laser-ablated tin microdroplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurilovich, Dmitry; Basko, Mikhail M.; Kim, Dmitrii A.; Torretti, Francesco; Schupp, Ruben; Visschers, Jim C.; Scheers, Joris; Hoekstra, Ronnie; Ubachs, Wim; Versolato, Oscar O.

2018-01-01

The measurement of the propulsion of metallic microdroplets exposed to nanosecond laser pulses provides an elegant method for probing the ablation pressure in a dense laser-produced plasma. We present the measurements of the propulsion velocity over three decades in the driving Nd:YAG laser pulse energy and observe a near-perfect power law dependence. Simulations performed with the RALEF-2D radiation-hydrodynamic code are shown to be in good agreement with the power law above a specific threshold energy. The simulations highlight the importance of radiative losses which significantly modify the power of the pressure scaling. Having found a good agreement between the experiment and the simulations, we investigate the analytic origins of the obtained power law and conclude that none of the available analytic theories is directly applicable for explaining our power exponent.

Assessments of Fracture Toughness of Monolithic Ceramics-SEPB Versus SEVNB Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Sung R.; Gyekenyesi, John P.

2006-01-01

Fracture toughness of a total of 13 advanced monolithic ceramics including silicon nitrides, silicon carbide, aluminas, and glass ceramic was determined at ambient temperature by using both single edge precracked beam (SEPB) and single edge v-notched beam (SEVNB) methods. Relatively good agreement in fracture toughness between the two methods was observed for advanced ceramics with flat R-curves; whereas, poor agreement in fracture toughness was seen for materials with rising R-curves. The discrepancy in fracture toughness between the two methods was due to stable crack growth with crack closure forces acting in the wake region of cracks even in SEVNB test specimens. The effect of discrepancy in fracture toughness was analyzed in terms of microstructural feature (grain size and shape), toughening exponent in R-curve, and stable crack growth determined using back-face strain gaging.

Validity and Agreement between the 28-Joint Disease Activity Score Based on C-Reactive Protein and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

PubMed Central

Nielung, Louise; Christensen, Robin; Danneskiold-Samsøe, Bente; Bliddal, Henning; Holm, Christian Cato; Ellegaard, Karen; Slott Jensen, Hanne; Bartels, Else Marie

2015-01-01

Objective. To validate the agreement between the 28-joint disease activity score based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) and the 28-joint disease activity score based on C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) in a group of Danish patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. Data from 109 Danish RA patients initiating biologic treatment were analysed at baseline and following one year of treatment. Participants were retrospectively enrolled from a previous cohort study and were considered eligible for this project if CRP and ESR were measured at baseline and at the follow-up visit. To assess the extent of agreement between the two DAS28 definitions, the “European League Against Rheumatism” (EULAR) response criteria based on each definition were calculated with cross-classification. Weighted Kappa (κ) coefficients were calculated, and Bland-Altman plots were used to illustrate degree of agreement between DAS28 definitions. Results. The 75 eligible patients were classified as EULAR good, moderate, and nonresponders with good agreement (61/75; 81%) between DAS28-CRP and DAS28-ESR (κ = 0.75 (95% CI: 0.63 to 0.88)). Conclusions. According to our findings, DAS28-CRP and DAS28-ESR are interchangeable when assessing RA patients and the two versions of DAS28 are comparable between studies. PMID:25632353

High-pressure liquid chromatography analysis of antibiotic susceptibility disks.

PubMed Central

Hagel, R B; Waysek, E H; Cort, W M

1979-01-01

The analysis of antibiotic susceptibility disks by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was investigated. Methods are presented for the potency determination of mecillinam, ampicillin, carbenicillin, and cephalothin alone and in various combinations. Good agreement between HPLC and microbiological data is observed for potency determinations with recoveries of greater than 95%. Relative standard deviations of lower than 2% are recorded for each HPLC method. HPLC methods offer improved accuracy and greater precision when compared to the standard microbiological methods of analysis for susceptibility disks. PMID:507793

A method for the analysis of nonlinearities in aircraft dynamic response to atmospheric turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sidwell, K.

1976-01-01

An analytical method is developed which combines the equivalent linearization technique for the analysis of the response of nonlinear dynamic systems with the amplitude modulated random process (Press model) for atmospheric turbulence. The method is initially applied to a bilinear spring system. The analysis of the response shows good agreement with exact results obtained by the Fokker-Planck equation. The method is then applied to an example of control-surface displacement limiting in an aircraft with a pitch-hold autopilot.

Halogenation effects on electron collisions with CF3Cl, CF2Cl2, and CFCl3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freitas, T. C.; Lopes, A. R.; Azeredo, A. D.; Bettega, M. H. F.

2016-04-01

We report differential and integral elastic cross sections for low-energy electron collisions with CF3Cl, CF2Cl2, and CFCl3 molecules for energies ranging from 0.1 eV to 30 eV. The calculations were performed using the Schwinger multichannel method with pseudopotentials in the static-exchange and static-exchange plus polarization approximations. The influence of the permanent electric dipole moment on the cross sections was included using the Born closure scheme. A very good agreement between our calculations and the experimental results of Jones [J. Chem. Phys. 84, 813 (1986)], Mann and Linder [J. Phys. B 25, 1621 (1992); 25, 1633 (1992)] and Hoshino et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 138, 214305 (2013)] was found. We also compare our results with the calculations of Beyer et al. [Chem. Phys. 255, 1 (2000)] using the R-matrix method, where we find good agreement with respect to the location of the resonances, and with the calculations of Hoshino et al. using the independent atom method with screening corrected additivity rule, where we find qualitative agreement at energies above 20 eV. Additional electronic structure calculations were carried out in order to help in the interpretation of the scattering results. The stabilization the lowest σ∗ resonance due to the exchange of fluorine by chlorine atoms (halogenation effect) follows a simple linear relation with the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals and can be considered as a signature of the halogenation effect.

Estimation of blade airloads from rotor blade bending moments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bousman, William G.

1987-01-01

This paper presents a method for the estimation of blade airloads, based on the measurements of flap bending moments. In this procedure, the blade rotation in vacuum modes is calculated, and the airloads are expressed as an algebraic sum of the mode shapes, modal amplitudes, mass distribution, and frequency properties. The method was validated by comparing the calculated airload distribution with the original wind tunnel measurements which were made using ten modes and twenty measurement stations. Good agreement between the predicted and the measured airloads was found up to 0.90 R, but the agreement degraded towards the blade tip. The method is shown to be quite robust to the type of experimental problems that could be expected to occur in the testing of full-scale and model-scale rotors.

Intra- and inter-observer agreement on diagnosis of Dupuytren disease, measurements of severity of contracture, and disease extent.

PubMed

Broekstra, Dieuwke C; Lanting, Rosanne; Werker, Paul M N; van den Heuvel, Edwin R

2015-08-01

Dupuytren disease (DD) is a fibrosing disease affecting the palmar aponeurosis, and is mostly treated by surgery based on measurement of severity of flexion contracture of the fingers. Literature concerning the measurement reliability is scarce. This study aimed to determine the intra- and inter-observer agreement of four variables for diagnosing DD, determining severity of contracture, and disease extent. One of them is a new measurement on the area of nodules and cords for measuring the disease extent in early disease stages. An agreement study (n = 54) was performed by two trained investigators. Agreement was calculated per finger, based on an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) using a latent variable model on subjects for diagnosis and Tubiana stage. For total passive extension deficit (TPED) and the area of nodules and cords, agreement was calculated with an ICC using a one-way random effects model with subject as random effect. Inter-observer agreement was very good for diagnosing DD (ICC: 95.5%-99.9%) and good to very good for classifying Tubiana stage (ICC: 73.5%-94.9%). Agreements for area and TPED were moderate (middle finger) to very good (ICC: 48.4%-98.6% and 45.0%-99.5%, respectively). Intra-observer agreement was slightly higher on average than inter-observer agreement. Overall, the intra- and inter-observer agreement in diagnosing DD, and determining the severity of flexion contracture is high. Also, the newly introduced variable area of nodules and cords has high intra- and inter-observer agreement, indicating that it is suitable to measure disease extent. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of structural and least-squares lines for estimating geologic relations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, G.P.; Troutman, B.M.

1990-01-01

Two different goals in fitting straight lines to data are to estimate a "true" linear relation (physical law) and to predict values of the dependent variable with the smallest possible error. Regarding the first goal, a Monte Carlo study indicated that the structural-analysis (SA) method of fitting straight lines to data is superior to the ordinary least-squares (OLS) method for estimating "true" straight-line relations. Number of data points, slope and intercept of the true relation, and variances of the errors associated with the independent (X) and dependent (Y) variables influence the degree of agreement. For example, differences between the two line-fitting methods decrease as error in X becomes small relative to error in Y. Regarding the second goal-predicting the dependent variable-OLS is better than SA. Again, the difference diminishes as X takes on less error relative to Y. With respect to estimation of slope and intercept and prediction of Y, agreement between Monte Carlo results and large-sample theory was very good for sample sizes of 100, and fair to good for sample sizes of 20. The procedures and error measures are illustrated with two geologic examples. ?? 1990 International Association for Mathematical Geology.

Simultaneous velocity and concentration measurements in the near field of a turbulent low-pressure jet by digital particle image velocimetry-planar laser-induced fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borg, A.; Bolinder, J.; Fuchs, L.

The main purpose of this work is to develop a method for simultaneous measurement of velocity and passive scalar concentration by means of digital particle image velocimetry and planar laser-induced fluorescence. Details of the implementation of the method are given, and the technique is applied to measurements of concentration and velocity in the centre-plane of a liquid jet with a Reynolds number of 6,000. The measurements are compared with large eddy simulations. Mean velocities and concentrations, fluctuating velocities and concentrations, and correlation between fluctuating velocities and concentrations are analysed for the first six diameters downstream of the jet exit. The general agreement between measured and simulated results was found to be good, in particular for mean quantities. Mean profiles are also found to be in good agreement with other experimental work on jets reported in the literature. The ``whole-plane'' measurement method was found to be very useful for detailed comparisons of turbulent statistics with simulated data. The inadequacy of models for turbulent mass transport based on the standard gradient diffusion concept is demonstrated through the experimental data.

Finite-surface method for the Maxwell equations with corner singularities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vinokur, Marcel; Yarrow, Maurice

1994-01-01

The finite-surface method for the two-dimensional Maxwell equations in generalized coordinates is extended to treat perfect conductor boundaries with sharp corners. Known singular forms of the grid and the electromagnetic fields in the neighborhood of each corner are used to obtain accurate approximations to the surface and line integrals appearing in the method. Numerical results are presented for a harmonic plane wave incident on a finite flat plate. Comparisons with exact solutions show good agreement.

A general time-dependent stochastic method for solving Parker's transport equation in spherical coordinates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pei, C.; Bieber, J. W.; Burger, R. A.; Clem, J.

2010-12-01

We present a detailed description of our newly developed stochastic approach for solving Parker's transport equation, which we believe is the first attempt to solve it with time dependence in 3-D, evolving from our 3-D steady state stochastic approach. Our formulation of this method is general and is valid for any type of heliospheric magnetic field, although we choose the standard Parker field as an example to illustrate the steps to calculate the transport of galactic cosmic rays. Our 3-D stochastic method is different from other stochastic approaches in the literature in several ways. For example, we employ spherical coordinates to integrate directly, which makes the code much more efficient by reducing coordinate transformations. What is more, the equivalence between our stochastic differential equations and Parker's transport equation is guaranteed by Ito's theorem in contrast to some other approaches. We generalize the technique for calculating particle flux based on the pseudoparticle trajectories for steady state solutions and for time-dependent solutions in 3-D. To validate our code, first we show that good agreement exists between solutions obtained by our steady state stochastic method and a traditional finite difference method. Then we show that good agreement also exists for our time-dependent method for an idealized and simplified heliosphere which has a Parker magnetic field and a simple initial condition for two different inner boundary conditions.

Agreement between an online dietary assessment tool (myfood24) and an interviewer-administered 24-h dietary recall in British adolescents aged 11-18 years.

PubMed

Albar, Salwa A; Alwan, Nisreen A; Evans, Charlotte E L; Greenwood, Darren C; Cade, Janet E

2016-05-01

myfood24 Is an online 24-h dietary assessment tool developed for use among British adolescents and adults. Limited information is available regarding the validity of using new technology in assessing nutritional intake among adolescents. Thus, a relative validation of myfood24 against a face-to-face interviewer-administered 24-h multiple-pass recall (MPR) was conducted among seventy-five British adolescents aged 11-18 years. Participants were asked to complete myfood24 and an interviewer-administered MPR on the same day for 2 non-consecutive days at school. Total energy intake (EI) and nutrients recorded by the two methods were compared using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), Bland-Altman plots (using between and within-individual information) and weighted κ to assess the agreement. Energy, macronutrients and other reported nutrients from myfood24 demonstrated strong agreement with the interview MPR data, and ICC ranged from 0·46 for Na to 0·88 for EI. There was no significant bias between the two methods for EI, macronutrients and most reported nutrients. The mean difference between myfood24 and the interviewer-administered MPR for EI was -230 kJ (-55 kcal) (95 % CI -490, 30 kJ (-117, 7 kcal); P=0·4) with limits of agreement ranging between 39 % (3336 kJ (-797 kcal)) lower and 34 % (2874 kJ (687 kcal)) higher than the interviewer-administered MPR. There was good agreement in terms of classifying adolescents into tertiles of EI (κ w =0·64). The agreement between day 1 and day 2 was as good for myfood24 as for the interviewer-administered MPR, reflecting the reliability of myfood24. myfood24 Has the potential to collect dietary data of comparable quality with that of an interviewer-administered MPR.

Broadband metamaterial lens antennas with special properties by controlling both refractive-index distribution and feed directivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Qian; Shi, Chuan Bo; Chen, Tian Yi; Qing Qi, Mei; Li, Yun Bo; Cui, Tie Jun

2018-04-01

A new method is proposed to design gradient refractive-index metamaterial lens antennas by optimizing both the refractive-index distribution of the lens and the feed directivity. Comparing to the conventional design methods, source optimization provides a new degree of freedom to control aperture fields effectively. To demonstrate this method, two lenses with special properties based on this method are designed, to emit high-efficiency plane waves and fan-shaped beams, respectively. Both lenses have good performance and wide frequency band from 12 to 18 GHz, verifying the validity of the proposed method. The plane-wave emitting lens realized a high aperture efficiency of 75%, and the fan-beam lens achieved a high gain of 15 dB over board bandwidth. The experimental results have good agreement with the design targets and full-wave simulations.

Double-multiple streamtube model for studying vertical-axis wind turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paraschivoiu, Ion

1988-08-01

This work describes the present state-of-the-art in double-multiple streamtube method for modeling the Darrieus-type vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT). Comparisons of the analytical results with the other predictions and available experimental data show a good agreement. This method, which incorporates dynamic-stall and secondary effects, can be used for generating a suitable aerodynamic-load model for structural design analysis of the Darrieus rotor.

Prediction of pump cavitation performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, R. D.

1974-01-01

A method for predicting pump cavitation performance with various liquids, liquid temperatures, and rotative speeds is presented. Use of the method requires that two sets of test data be available for the pump of interest. Good agreement between predicted and experimental results of cavitation performance was obtained for several pumps operated in liquids which exhibit a wide range of properties. Two cavitation parameters which qualitatively evaluate pump cavitation performance are also presented.

Implicit finite difference methods on composite grids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mastin, C. Wayne

1987-01-01

Techniques for eliminating time lags in the implicit finite-difference solution of partial differential equations are investigated analytically, with a focus on transient fluid dynamics problems on overlapping multicomponent grids. The fundamental principles of the approach are explained, and the method is shown to be applicable to both rectangular and curvilinear grids. Numerical results for sample problems are compared with exact solutions in graphs, and good agreement is demonstrated.

Infrared and colorimetric characterization of discolored kiln-dried hard maple lumber

Treesearch

Benjamin E. Dawson-Andoh; Michael Wiemann; Laurent Matuana; John Baumgras

2004-01-01

Discoloration of hard maple lumber commonly occurs during kiln-drying. In this study, discolored andnondiscolored kiln-dried hard maple lumber boards were characterized using a colorimetric method and Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Colorimetric measurements (L*, a*, b*) were found to be in good agreement with visual...

Selective mode excitation in finite size plasma crystals by diffusely reflected laser light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schablinski, Jan; Block, Dietmar

2015-02-01

The possibility to use diffuse reflections of a laser beam to exert a force on levitating dust particles is studied experimentally. Measurements and theoretical predictions are found to be in good agreement. Further, the method is applied to test the selective excitation of breathing-like modes in finite dust clusters.

Stability analysis of cylinders with circular cutouts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Almroth, B. O.; Brogan, F. A.; Marlowe, M. B.

1973-01-01

The stability of axially compressed cylinders with circular cutouts is analyzed numerically. An extension of the finite-difference method is used which removes the requirement that displacement components be defined in the directions of the grid lines. The results of this nonlinear analysis are found to be in good agreement with earlier experimental results.

INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF INVESTIGATION Charge spectrum of galactic cosmic ray nuclei as measured in meteorite olivines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aleksandrov, Andrei B.; Bagulya, Aleksandr V.; Vladimirov, Mikhail S.; Goncharova, Lyudmila A.; Ivliev, Aleksandr I.; Kalinina, Galina V.; Kashkarov, Leonid L.; Konovalova, Nina S.; Okat'eva, Natal'ya M.; Polukhina, Natal'ya G.; Rusetskii, Aleksei S.; Starkov, Nikolai I.

2010-11-01

This paper presents experimental results on galactic cosmic ray nuclei in olivine crystals from the Marjalahti and Eagle Station pallasites. The charge spectrum of the nuclei is measured to be in good agreement with the experimental data from the HEAO-3 and ARIEL-6 satellite missions.

19 CFR 10.601 - Retail packaging materials and containers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.601 Retail packaging materials and... Section 10.601 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY... requirement. The United States importer of good C decides to use the build-down method, RVC = ((AV-VNM)/AV...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gonzalez, J.E.; Alcaniz, J.S.; Carvalho, J.C., E-mail: javierernesto@on.br, E-mail: alcaniz@on.br, E-mail: jcarvalho@on.br

The existing degeneracy between different dark energy and modified gravity cosmologies at the background level may be broken by analyzing quantities at the perturbative level. In this work, we apply a non-parametric smoothing (NPS) method to reconstruct the expansion history of the Universe ( H ( z )) from model-independent cosmic chronometers and high- z quasar data. Assuming a homogeneous and isotropic flat universe and general relativity (GR) as the gravity theory, we calculate the non-relativistic matter perturbations in the linear regime using the H ( z ) reconstruction and realistic values of Ω {sub m} {sub 0} and σ{submore » 8} from Planck and WMAP-9 collaborations. We find a good agreement between the measurements of the growth rate and f σ{sub 8}( z ) from current large-scale structure observations and the estimates obtained from the reconstruction of the cosmic expansion history. Considering a recently proposed null test for GR using matter perturbations, we also apply the NPS method to reconstruct f σ{sub 8}( z ). For this case, we find a ∼ 3σ tension (good agreement) with the standard relativistic cosmology when the Planck (WMAP-9) priors are used.« less

Analytical prediction of the unsteady lift on a rotor caused by downstream struts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, A. C., III; Ng, W. F.

1987-01-01

A two-dimensional, inviscid, incompressible procedure is presented for predicting the unsteady lift on turbomachinery blades caused by the upstream potential disturbance of downstream flow obstructions. Using the Douglas-Neumann singularity superposition potential flow computer program to model the downstream flow obstructions, classical equations of thin airfoil theory are then employed, to compute the unsteady lift on the upstream rotor blades. The method is applied to a particular geometry which consists of a rotor, a downstream stator, and downstream struts which support the engine casing. Very good agreement between the Douglas-Neumann program and experimental measurements was obtained for the downstream stator-strut flow field. The calculations for the unsteady lift due to the struts were in good agreement with the experiments in showing that the unsteady lift due to the struts decays exponentially with increased axial separation of the rotor and the struts. An application of the method showed that for a given axial spacing between the rotor and the strut, strut-induced unsteady lift is a very weak function of the axial or circumferential position of the stator.

Development of a Jet Noise Prediction Method for Installed Jet Configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Craig A.; Thomas, Russell H.

2003-01-01

This paper describes development of the Jet3D noise prediction method and its application to heated jets with complex three-dimensional flow fields and installation effects. Noise predictions were made for four separate flow bypass ratio five nozzle configurations tested in the NASA Langley Jet Noise Laboratory. These configurations consist of a round core and fan nozzle with and without pylon, and an eight chevron core nozzle and round fan nozzle with and without pylon. Predicted SPL data were in good agreement with experimental noise measurements up to 121 inlet angle, beyond which Jet3D under predicted low frequency levels. This is due to inherent limitations in the formulation of Lighthill's Acoustic Analogy used in Jet3D, and will be corrected in ongoing development. Jet3D did an excellent job predicting full scale EPNL for nonchevron configurations, and captured the effect of the pylon, correctly predicting a reduction in EPNL. EPNL predictions for chevron configurations were not in good agreement with measured data, likely due to the lower mixing and longer potential cores in the CFD simulations of these cases.

Molecular geometry and vibrational studies of 3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole using quantum chemical calculations and FT-IR and FT-Raman spectroscopies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guennoun, L.; El jastimi, J.; Guédira, F.; Marakchi, K.; Kabbaj, O. K.; El Hajji, A.; Zaydoun, S.

2011-01-01

The 3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole (guanazole) was investigated by vibrational spectroscopy and quantum methods. The solid phase FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra were recorded in the region 4000-400 cm -1 and 3600-50 cm -1 respectively, and the band assignments were supported by deuteration effects. The results of energy calculations have shown that the most stable form is 1H-3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole under C 1 symmetry. For this form, the molecular structure, harmonic vibrational wave numbers, infrared intensities and Raman activities were calculated by the ab initio/HF and DFT/B3LYP methods using 6-31G* basis set. The calculated geometrical parameters of the guanazole molecule using B3LYP methodology are in good agreement with the previously reported X-ray data, and the scaled vibrational wave number values are in good agreement with the experimental data. The normal vibrations were characterized in terms of potential energy distribution (PEDs) using VEDA 4 program.

Assessment of Diesse Ves-matic automated system for measuring erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

PubMed Central

Caswell, M; Stuart, J

1991-01-01

Measurement of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) using a closed tube system reduces the biohazard risk to laboratory staff. The Diesse Ves-matic system offers manual or vacuum collection of blood into plastic tubes, automated mixing of the sample, and automated reading of the end point after 20 minutes of sedimentation. This system was compared with the 1977 Westergren ESR method of the International Council for Standardization in Haematology (ICSH) and with the 1988 ICSH undiluted ESR method. Manually collected Ves-matic samples showed good agreement with ICSH values, although there was a tendency to false low results at low ESR values which may represent dilution of plasma protein with excess citrate. Vacuum collected Ves-matic samples also showed good agreement with ICSH values, although there was a tendency to false high results which may reflect a change in the blood: citrate ratio caused by loss of anticoagulant diluent or vacuum from plastic tubes during storage. The Diesse Ves-matic system incorporates several improvements over previous technology and offers a safer, quicker, and more standardised ESR. PMID:1752986

Relativistic nuclear magnetic resonance J-coupling with ultrasoft pseudopotentials and the zeroth-order regular approximation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Green, Timothy F. G., E-mail: tim.green@materials.ox.ac.uk; Yates, Jonathan R., E-mail: jonathan.yates@materials.ox.ac.uk

2014-06-21

We present a method for the first-principles calculation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) J-coupling in extended systems using state-of-the-art ultrasoft pseudopotentials and including scalar-relativistic effects. The use of ultrasoft pseudopotentials is allowed by extending the projector augmented wave (PAW) method of Joyce et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 127, 204107 (2007)]. We benchmark it against existing local-orbital quantum chemical calculations and experiments for small molecules containing light elements, with good agreement. Scalar-relativistic effects are included at the zeroth-order regular approximation level of theory and benchmarked against existing local-orbital quantum chemical calculations and experiments for a number of small molecules containing themore » heavy row six elements W, Pt, Hg, Tl, and Pb, with good agreement. Finally, {sup 1}J(P-Ag) and {sup 2}J(P-Ag-P) couplings are calculated in some larger molecular crystals and compared against solid-state NMR experiments. Some remarks are also made as to improving the numerical stability of dipole perturbations using PAW.« less

Cochlear Modeling Using Time-Averaged Lagrangian" Method:. Comparison with VBM, PST, and ZC Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Y.; Kim, N.; Puria, S.; Steele, C. R.

2009-02-01

In this work, basilar membrane velocity (VBM), scala tympani intracochlear pressure (PST), and cochlear input impedances (Zc) for gerbil and chinchilla are implemented using a three-dimensional hydro-dynamic cochlear model using 1) time-averaged Lagrangian, 2) push-pull mechanism in active case, and 3) the complex anatomy of cochlear scalae by micro computed tomography (μCT) scanning and 3-D reconstructions of gerbil and chinchilla temporal bones. The objective of this work is to compare the calculations and the physiological measurements of gerbil and chinchilla cochlear such as VBM (Ren and Nuttall [1]), PST (Olson [2]), and ZC (Decraemer et al. [3], Songer and Rosowski [4], Ruggero et al. [5]) with present model. A WKB asymptotic method combined with Fourier series expansions is used to provide an efficient simulation. VBM and PST simulation results for the gerbil cochlea show good agreement both in the magnitude and the phase for the physiological measurements without larger phase excursion. ZC simulation from the gerbil and chinchilla model show reasonably good agreement with measurement.

Experimental studies on thermodynamic effects of developed cavitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruggeri, R. S.

1974-01-01

A method for predicting thermodynamic effects of cavitation (changes in cavity pressure relative to stream vapor pressure) is presented. The prediction method accounts for changes in liquid, liquid temperature, flow velocity, and body scale. Both theoretical and experimental studies used in formulating the method are discussed. The prediction method provided good agreement between predicted and experimental results for geometrically scaled venturis handling four different liquids of widely diverse physical properties. Use of the method requires geometric similarity of the body and cavitated region and a known reference cavity-pressure depression at one operating condition.

New insight in spiral drawing analysis methods - Application to action tremor quantification.

PubMed

Legrand, André Pierre; Rivals, Isabelle; Richard, Aliénor; Apartis, Emmanuelle; Roze, Emmanuel; Vidailhet, Marie; Meunier, Sabine; Hainque, Elodie

2017-10-01

Spiral drawing is one of the standard tests used to assess tremor severity for the clinical evaluation of medical treatments. Tremor severity is estimated through visual rating of the drawings by movement disorders experts. Different approaches based on the mathematical signal analysis of the recorded spiral drawings were proposed to replace this rater dependent estimate. The objective of the present study is to propose new numerical methods and to evaluate them in terms of agreement with visual rating and reproducibility. Series of spiral drawings of patients with essential tremor were visually rated by a board of experts. In addition to the usual velocity analysis, three new numerical methods were tested and compared, namely static and dynamic unraveling, and empirical mode decomposition. The reproducibility of both visual and numerical ratings was estimated, and their agreement was evaluated. The statistical analysis demonstrated excellent agreement between visual and numerical ratings, and more reproducible results with numerical methods than with visual ratings. The velocity method and the new numerical methods are in good agreement. Among the latter, static and dynamic unravelling both display a smaller dispersion and are easier for automatic analysis. The reliable scores obtained through the proposed numerical methods allow considering that their implementation on a digitized tablet, be it connected with a computer or independent, provides an efficient automatic tool for tremor severity assessment. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Agreement between pedometer and accelerometer in measuring physical activity in overweight and obese pregnant women

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Inexpensive, reliable objective methods are needed to measure physical activity (PA) in large scale trials. This study compared the number of pedometer step counts with accelerometer data in pregnant women in free-living conditions to assess agreement between these measures. Methods Pregnant women (n = 58) with body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 at median 13 weeks' gestation wore a GT1M Actigraph accelerometer and a Yamax Digi-Walker CW-701 pedometer for four consecutive days. The Spearman rank correlation coefficients were determined between pedometer step counts and various accelerometer measures of PA. Total agreement between accelerometer and pedometer step counts was evaluated by determining the 95% limits of agreement estimated using a regression-based method. Agreement between the monitors in categorising participants as active or inactive was assessed by determining Kappa. Results Pedometer step counts correlated moderately (r = 0.36 to 0.54) with most accelerometer measures of PA. Overall step counts recorded by the pedometer and the accelerometer were not significantly different (medians 5961 vs. 5687 steps/day, p = 0.37). However, the 95% limits of agreement ranged from -2690 to 2656 steps/day for the mean step count value (6026 steps/day) and changed substantially over the range of values. Agreement between the monitors in categorising participants to active and inactive varied from moderate to good depending on the criteria adopted. Conclusions Despite statistically significant correlations and similar median step counts, the overall agreement between pedometer and accelerometer step counts was poor and varied with activity level. Pedometer and accelerometer steps cannot be used interchangeably in overweight and obese pregnant women. PMID:21703033

Predicting solute partitioning in lipid bilayers: Free energies and partition coefficients from molecular dynamics simulations and COSMOmic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jakobtorweihen, S., E-mail: jakobtorweihen@tuhh.de; Ingram, T.; Gerlach, T.

2014-07-28

Quantitative predictions of biomembrane/water partition coefficients are important, as they are a key property in pharmaceutical applications and toxicological studies. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to calculate free energy profiles for different solutes in lipid bilayers. How to calculate partition coefficients from these profiles is discussed in detail and different definitions of partition coefficients are compared. Importantly, it is shown that the calculated coefficients are in quantitative agreement with experimental results. Furthermore, we compare free energy profiles from MD simulations to profiles obtained by the recent method COSMOmic, which is an extension of the conductor-like screening model for realisticmore » solvation to micelles and biomembranes. The free energy profiles from these molecular methods are in good agreement. Additionally, solute orientations calculated with MD and COSMOmic are compared and again a good agreement is found. Four different solutes are investigated in detail: 4-ethylphenol, propanol, 5-phenylvaleric acid, and dibenz[a,h]anthracene, whereby the latter belongs to the class of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The convergence of the free energy profiles from biased MD simulations is discussed and the results are shown to be comparable to equilibrium MD simulations. For 5-phenylvaleric acid the influence of the carboxyl group dihedral angle on free energy profiles is analyzed with MD simulations.« less

Elastic constants of hcp 4He: Path-integral Monte Carlo results versus experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardila, Luis Aldemar Peña; Vitiello, Silvio A.; de Koning, Maurice

2011-09-01

The elastic constants of hcp 4He are computed using the path-integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) method. The stiffness coefficients are obtained by imposing different distortions to a periodic cell containing 180 atoms, followed by measurement of the elements of the corresponding stress tensor. For this purpose an appropriate path-integral expression for the stress tensor observable is derived and implemented into the pimc++ package. In addition to allowing the determination of the elastic stiffness constants, this development also opens the way to an explicit atomistic determination of the Peierls stress for dislocation motion using the PIMC technique. A comparison of the results to available experimental data shows an overall good agreement of the density dependence of the elastic constants, with the single exception of C13. Additional calculations for the bcc phase, on the other hand, show good agreement for all elastic constants.

THE AB INITIO CALCULATION OF THE DYNAMICAL AND THE THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF THE ZINC-BLENDE GaX (X=N, P, As AND Sb)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouhadda, Y.; Bentabet, A.; Fenineche, N. E.; Boudouma, Y.

2012-12-01

By this work, we aim to study the dynamical and the thermodynamic properties of the zinc-blende GaX (X = N, P, As and Sb) using the Ab initio simulation method. Indeed, we studied the lattice dynamics, the constant-volume specific heat (Cv), the internal energy (U), the entropy (S) and the free energy (F). The observed differences between the properties of GaX elements were discussed. Our results and the available literature data (theoretical and experimental) seems to be in good agreement. Moreover, Cv, U, F and S were calculated by using the harmonic approximation in the calculation of the dynamic lattice vibration. The good agreement between our results of both the phonon frequency, the constant-volume specific heat and the experimental data allows us to conclude that our results of S, U and F of GaX were well predicted.

Matter and charge distributions of 6He and 5,6,7,9Li within the dynamic-correlation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomaselli, M.; Hjorth-Jensen, M.; Fritzsche, S.; Egelhof, P.; Neumaier, S. R.; Mutterer, M.; Kühl, T.; Dax, A.; Wang, H.

2000-12-01

The matter and the charge distributions of the 6He and 5,6,7,9Li isotopes are investigated within the dynamic-correlation model (DCM) which describes the ground states of light nuclei in terms of microscopic correlated clusters: the valence particles and the intrinsic vacuum states. The amplitudes of these mixed-mode wave functions are calculated in the framework of nonperturbative solutions of the equation of motion method (EOMM). The matter and charge mean square radii are in good agreement with experimental results. The calculated matter distribution of the 6He nucleus is characterized by a halo structure less pronounced than that calculated by the three cluster models. The charge distribution of 6Li reproduces well the electron scattering data. Good agreement with experimental data has been also achieved for the proton scattering cross sections of p-6He at an energy of 0.7 GeV/nucleon.

Low-energy elastic electron scattering from furan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khakoo, M. A.; Muse, J.; Ralphs, K.

We report normalized experimental and theoretical differential cross sections for elastic electron scattering by C{sub 4}H{sub 4}O (furan) molecules from a collaborative project between several Brazilian theoretical groups and an experimental group at California State Fullerton, USA. The measurements are obtained by using the relative flow method with helium as the standard gas and a thin aperture target gas collimating source. The relative flow method is applied without the restriction imposed by the relative flow pressure condition on helium and the unknown gas. The experimental data were taken at incident electron energies of 1, 1.5, 1.73, 2, 2.7, 3, 5,more » 7, 10, 20, 30, and 50 eV and covered the angular range between 10 deg. and 130 deg. The measurements verify observed {pi}* shape resonances at 1.65{+-}0.05eV and 3.10{+-}0.05 eV scattering energies, in good agreement with the transmission electron data of Modelli and Burrow [J. Phys. Chem. A 108, 5721 (2004)]. Furthermore, the present results also indicated both resonances dominantly in the d-wave channel. The differential cross sections are integrated in the standard way to obtain integral elastic cross sections and momentum transfer cross sections. The calculations employed the Schwinger multichannel method with pseudopotentials and were performed in the static-exchange and in the static-exchange plus polarization approximations. The calculated integral and momentum transfer cross sections clearly revealed the presence of two shape resonances located at 1.95 and 3.56 eV and ascribed to the B{sub 1} and A{sub 2} symmetries of the C{sub 2v} point group, respectively, in very good agreement with the experimental findings. Overall agreement between theory and experiment regarding the differential, momentum transfer, and integral cross sections is very good, especially for energies below 10 eV.« less

Low-energy elastic electron scattering from furan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khakoo, M. A.; Muse, J.; Ralphs, K.; da Costa, R. F.; Bettega, M. H. F.; Lima, M. A. P.

2010-06-01

We report normalized experimental and theoretical differential cross sections for elastic electron scattering by C4H4O (furan) molecules from a collaborative project between several Brazilian theoretical groups and an experimental group at California State Fullerton, USA. The measurements are obtained by using the relative flow method with helium as the standard gas and a thin aperture target gas collimating source. The relative flow method is applied without the restriction imposed by the relative flow pressure condition on helium and the unknown gas. The experimental data were taken at incident electron energies of 1, 1.5, 1.73, 2, 2.7, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, 30, and 50 eV and covered the angular range between 10° and 130°. The measurements verify observed π* shape resonances at 1.65±0.05eV and 3.10±0.05 eV scattering energies, in good agreement with the transmission electron data of Modelli and Burrow [J. Phys. Chem. AJPCAFH 1089-563910.1021/jp048759a 108, 5721 (2004)]. Furthermore, the present results also indicated both resonances dominantly in the d-wave channel. The differential cross sections are integrated in the standard way to obtain integral elastic cross sections and momentum transfer cross sections. The calculations employed the Schwinger multichannel method with pseudopotentials and were performed in the static-exchange and in the static-exchange plus polarization approximations. The calculated integral and momentum transfer cross sections clearly revealed the presence of two shape resonances located at 1.95 and 3.56 eV and ascribed to the B1 and A2 symmetries of the C2v point group, respectively, in very good agreement with the experimental findings. Overall agreement between theory and experiment regarding the differential, momentum transfer, and integral cross sections is very good, especially for energies below 10 eV.

Electronic-structure theory of plutonium chalcogenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shick, Alexander; Havela, Ladislav; Gouder, Thomas; Rebizant, Jean

2009-03-01

The correlated band theory methods, the around-mean-field LDA + U and dynamical LDA + HIA (Hubbard-I), are applied to investigate the electronic structure of Pu chalcogenides. The LDA + U calculations for PuX (X = S, Se, Te) provide non-magnetic ground state in agreement with the experimental data. Non-integer filling of 5 f-manifold (from approx. 5.6 in PuS to 5.7 PuTe). indicates a mixed valence ground state which combines f5 and f6 multiplets. Making use of the dynamical LDA+HIA method the photoelectron spectra are calculated in good agreement with experimental data. The three-peak feature near EF attributed to 5 f-manifold is well reproduced by LDA + HIA, and follows from mixed valence character of the ground state.

Reflectivity of 1D photonic crystals: A comparison of computational schemes with experimental results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Huerta, J. S.; Ariza-Flores, D.; Castro-García, R.; Mochán, W. L.; Ortiz, G. P.; Agarwal, V.

2018-04-01

We report the reflectivity of one-dimensional finite and semi-infinite photonic crystals, computed through the coupling to Bloch modes (BM) and through a transfer matrix method (TMM), and their comparison to the experimental spectral line shapes of porous silicon (PS) multilayer structures. Both methods reproduce a forbidden photonic bandgap (PBG), but slowly-converging oscillations are observed in the TMM as the number of layers increases to infinity, while a smooth converged behavior is presented with BM. The experimental reflectivity spectra is in good agreement with the TMM results for multilayer structures with a small number of periods. However, for structures with large amount of periods, the measured spectral line shapes exhibit better agreement with the smooth behavior predicted by BM.

Effects of dynamical screening on single ionization of potassium by electron impact in doubly symmetric geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, S. Y.; Jia, X. F.; Miao, X. Y.; Zhang, J. F.

2014-03-01

The dynamically screened three-Coulomb-wave (DS3C) method is applied to study the single ionization of potassium by electron impact. Triple differential cross-sections (TDCS) are calculated in doubly symmetric geometry at excess energies of 6, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 eV. Comparisons are made with recent experimental data and theoretical predictions from a three-Coulomb-wave (3C) and distorted-wave Born approximation (DWBA). The DS3C method is able to reproduce most of the trend of experimental data and in good agreement with DWBA results. It is shown that the DS3C calculation provides much better shape and relative magnitude agreement with experiment.

Electronic structure and properties of lanthanum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nixon, Lane; Papaconstantopoulos, Dimitrios

2008-03-01

The total energy and electronic structure of lanthanum have been calculated in the bcc, fcc, hcp and dhcp structures for pressures up to 50 GPa. The full potential linearized-augmented-planewave method was used with both the local-density and general-gradient approximations. The correct phase ordering has been found, with lattice parameters and bulk moduli in good agreement with experimental data. The GGA method shows excellent agreement overall while the LDA results show larger discrepancies. The calculated strain energies for the fcc and bcc structures demonstrate the respective stable and unstable configurations at ambient conditions. The calculated superconductivity properties under pressure for the fcc structure are also found to agree well with measurements. Both LDA and GGA, with minor differences, reproduce well the experimental results for Tc.

Octupole correlations in the 144Ba nucleus described with symmetry-conserving configuration-mixing calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernard, Rémi N.; Robledo, Luis M.; Rodríguez, Tomás R.

2016-06-01

We study the interplay of quadrupole and octupole degrees of freedom in the structure of the isotope 144Ba. A symmetry-conserving configuration-mixing method (SCCM) based on a Gogny energy density functional (EDF) has been used. The method includes particle number, parity, and angular momentum restoration as well as axial quadrupole and octupole shape mixing within the generator coordinate method. Predictions both for excitation energies and electromagnetic transition probabilities are in good agreement with the most recent experimental data.

Combined enzymatic and colorimetric method for determining the uronic acid and methylester content of pectin: Application to tomato products.

PubMed

Anthon, Gordon E; Barrett, Diane M

2008-09-01

A simple procedure for determining the galacturonic acid and methanol contents of soluble and insoluble pectins, relying on enzymatic pectin hydrolysis and colorimetric quantification, is described. Pectin samples are incubated with a commercial pectinase preparation, Viscozyme, then the galacturonic acid content of the hydrolyzed pectin is quantified colorimetrically using a modification of the Cu reduction procedure originally described by Avigad and Milner. This modification, substituting the commonly used Folin-Ciocalteau reagent for the arsenic containing Nelson reagent, gives a response that is linear, sensitive, and selective for uronic acids over neutral sugars. This method also avoids the use of concentrated acids needed for the commonly used m-phenylphenol method. Methanol, released by the action of the pectin methylesterase found in the Viscozyme, is quantified using alcohol oxidase and Purpald. This combined enzymatic and colorimetric procedure correctly determined the galacturonic acid and methanol content of purified, soluble citrus pectin. Application of the procedure to water insoluble pectins was evaluated with water insoluble material from apples and oranges. In both cases good agreement was obtained between this method and commonly used methods based on chemical pectin hydrolysis. Good agreement between these procedures was also found in the analysis of both soluble and insoluble pectins from several tomato products. Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

47 CFR 51.301 - Duty to negotiate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) INTERCONNECTION... shall negotiate in good faith the terms and conditions of agreements to fulfill the duties established... in good faith the terms and conditions of agreements described in paragraph (a) of this section. (c...

47 CFR 51.301 - Duty to negotiate.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES (CONTINUED) INTERCONNECTION... shall negotiate in good faith the terms and conditions of agreements to fulfill the duties established... in good faith the terms and conditions of agreements described in paragraph (a) of this section. (c...

Determination of anaerobic threshold through heart rate and near infrared spectroscopy in elderly healthy men.

PubMed

Reis, Michel S; Berton, Danilo C; Arena, Ross; Catai, Aparecida M; Neder, José A; Borghi-Silva, Audrey

2013-01-01

Aging leads to low functional capacity and this can be reversed by safe and adequate exercise prescription. The aim of this study was to identify the anaerobic threshold (AT) obtained from the V-slope method as well as visual inspection of oxyhemoglobin ( O2Hb) and deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) curves and compare findings with the heteroscedastic (HS) method applied to carbon dioxide production ( CO2), heart rate (HR), and HHb data in healthy elderly men. A secondary aim was to assess the degree of agreement between methods for AT determination. Fourteen healthy men (61.4±6.3 years) underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) on a cycle ergometer until physical exhaustion. Biological signals collected during CPX included: ventilatory and metabolic variables; spectroscopy quasi-infrared rays - NIRS; and HR through a cardio-frequency meter. We observed temporal equivalence and similar values of power (W), absolute oxygen consumption (O2 - mL/min), relative O2 ( mL.Kg - 1.min -1), and HR at AT by the detection methods performed. In addition, by the Bland-Altman plot, HR confirmed good agreement between the methods with biases between -1.3 and 3.5 beats per minute. (i) all detection methods were sensitive in identifying AT, including the HS applied to HR and (ii) the methods showed a good correlation in the identification of AT. Thus, these results support HR as valid and readily available parameter in determining AT in healthy elderly men.

Reproducibility of the index of orthognathic functional treatment need scores derived from plaster study casts and their three-dimensional digital equivalents: a pilot study.

PubMed

McCrory, Emma; McGuinness, Niall Jp; Ulhaq, Aman

2018-06-01

To determine the reproducibility of Index of Orthognathic Functional Treatment Need (IOFTN) scores derived from plaster casts and their three-dimensional (3D) digital equivalents. Pilot study, prospective analytical. UK hospital orthodontic department. Thirty casts and their digital equivalents, representing the pre-treatment malocclusions of patients requiring orthodontic-orthognathic surgical treatment, were scored by four clinicians using IOFTN. Casts were scanned using a 3Shape digital scanner and 3D models produced using OrthoAnalyzer TM (3Shape Ltd, Copenhagen, Denmark). Examiners independently determined the IOFTN scores for the casts and digital models, to test their inter- and intra-operator reliability using weighted Kappa scores. Intra-operator agreement with IOFTN major categories (1-5: treatment need) was very good for plaster casts (0.83-0.98) and good-very good for digital models (0.78-0.83). Inter-operator agreement was moderate-very good for casts (0.58-0.82) and good-very good for digital models (0.65-0.92). Intra-operator agreement with IOFTN sub-categories (1-14: feature of malocclusion) was good-very good for casts (0.70-0.97) and digital models (0.80-0.94). Inter-operator agreement was moderate-good for casts (0.53-0.77); and moderate-very good for the digital models (0.58-0.90). Digital models are an acceptable alternative to plaster casts for examining the malocclusion of patients requiring combined orthodontic-orthognathic surgical treatment and determining treatment need.

Agreement between a self-administered questionnaire on musculoskeletal disorders of the neck-shoulder region and a physical examination

PubMed Central

Perreault, Nathalie; Brisson, Chantal; Dionne, Clermont E; Montreuil, Sylvie; Punnett, Laura

2008-01-01

Background In epidemiological studies on neck-shoulder disorders, physical examination by health professionals, although more expensive, is usually considered a better method of data collection than self-administered questionnaires on symptoms. However, little is known on the comparison of these two methods of data collection. The agreement between self-administered questionnaires and the physical examination on the presence of neck-shoulders disorders was assessed in the present study. Methods This study was conducted among clerical workers using video display units. Prevalent cases were workers for whom neck-shoulder symptoms were present for at least 3 days during the previous 7 days and for whom pain intensity was greater than 50 mm on a 100 mm visual analogue scale. All 85 workers meeting this definition and a random sample of 102 workers who did not meet this definition were selected. Physical examination included measures of active range of motion and musculoskeletal strength. Cohen's kappa and global percent agreement were calculated to compare the two methods of data collection. The effect on the agreement of different question and physical examination definitions and the importance of the time interval elapsed between the administrations of the tests were also evaluated. Results Kappa coefficients ranged from 0.19 to 0.54 depending on the definitions used to ascertain disorders. The agreement was highest when the two instruments were administered 21 days apart or less (Kappa = 0.54, global agreement = 77%). It was not substantially improved by the addition of criteria related to functional limitations or when comparisons were made with alternative physical examination definitions. Pain intensity recorded during physical examination maneuvers was an important element of the agreement between questionnaire and physical examination findings. Conclusion These results suggest a fair to good agreement between the presence of musculoskeletal disorders ascertained by self-administered questionnaire and physical examination that may reflect differences in the constructs measured. Shorter time lags result in better agreement. Investigators should consider these results before choosing a method to measure the presence of musculoskeletal disorders in the neck-shoulder region. PMID:18366656

Evaluation of Small Arms Range Soils for Metal Contamination and Lead Bioavailability

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-03

measured by an in vivo or in vitro method. Risk assessment and/or remediation of small arms ranges should therefore assume a high relative bioavailability of...lead for the eight soils was about 100% (108 ( 18% and 95 ( 6%, respectively) showing good agreement between both methods. Risk assessment and/ or...significant efforts in stewardship, environmental risk assessment , and reme- diation, so that training of personnel and future land use can be

Theoretical Prediction of the Forming Limit Band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banabic, D.; Vos, M.; Paraianu, L.; Jurco, P.

2007-04-01

Forming Limit Band (FLB) is a very useful tool to improve the sheet metal forming simulation robustness. Until now, the study of the FLB was only experimental. This paper presents the first attempt to model the FLB. The authors have established an original method for predicting the two margins of the limit band. The method was illustrated on the AA6111-T43 aluminum alloy. A good agreement with the experiments has been obtained.

ON THE CALIBRATION OF DK-02 AND KID DOSIMETERS (in Estonian)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ehvaert, H.

1963-01-01

For the periodic calibration of the DK-02 and WD dosimeters, the rotating stand method which is more advantageous than the usual method is recommended. The calibration can be accomplished in a strong gamma field, reducing considerably the time necessary for calibration. Using a point source, the dose becomes a simple function of time and geometrical parameters. The experimental values are in good agreement with theoretical values. (tr-auth)

Accuracy of volumetric measurement of simulated root resorption lacunas based on cone beam computed tomography.

PubMed

Wang, Y; He, S; Guo, Y; Wang, S; Chen, S

2013-08-01

To evaluate the accuracy of volumetric measurement of simulated root resorption cavities based on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), in comparison with that of Micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) which served as the reference. The State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases at Sichuan University. Thirty-two bovine teeth were included for standardized CBCT scanning and Micro-CT scanning before and after the simulation of different degrees of root resorption. The teeth were divided into three groups according to the depths of the root resorption cavity (group 1: 0.15, 0.2, 0.3 mm; group 2: 0.6, 1.0 mm; group 3: 1.5, 2.0, 3.0 mm). Each depth included four specimens. Differences in tooth volume before and after simulated root resorption were then calculated from CBCT and Micro-CT scans, respectively. The overall between-method agreement of the measurements was evaluated using the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). For the first group, the average volume of resorption cavity was 1.07 mm(3) , and the between-method agreement of measurement for the volume changes was low (CCC = 0.098). For the second and third groups, the average volumes of resorption cavities were 3.47 and 6.73 mm(3) respectively, and the between-method agreements were good (CCC = 0.828 and 0.895, respectively). The accuracy of 3-D quantitative volumetric measurement of simulated root resorption based on CBCT was fairly good in detecting simulated resorption cavities larger than 3.47 mm(3), while it was not sufficient for measuring resorption cavities smaller than 1.07 mm(3) . This method could be applied in future studies of root resorption although further studies are required to improve its accuracy. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Interlaboratory comparison of chemical analysis of uranium mononitride

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merkle, E. J.; Davis, W. F.; Halloran, J. T.; Graab, J. W.

1974-01-01

Analytical methods were established in which the critical variables were controlled, with the result that acceptable interlaboratory agreement was demonstrated for the chemical analysis of uranium mononitride. This was accomplished by using equipment readily available to laboratories performing metallurgical analyses. Agreement among three laboratories was shown to be very good for uranium and nitrogen. Interlaboratory precision of + or - 0.04 percent was achieved for both of these elements. Oxygen was determined to + or - 15 parts per million (ppm) at the 170-ppm level. The carbon determination gave an interlaboratory precision of + or - 46 ppm at the 320-ppm level.

Theory and performance of plated thermocouples.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pesko, R. N.; Ash, R. L.; Cupschalk, S. G.; Germain, E. F.

1972-01-01

A theory has been developed to describe the performance of thermocouples which have been formed by electroplating portions of one thermoelectric material with another. The electroplated leg of the thermocouple was modeled as a collection of infinitesimally small homogeneous thermocouples connected in series. Experiments were performed using several combinations of Constantan wire sizes and copper plating thicknesses. A transient method was used to develop the thermoelectric calibrations, and the theory was found to be in quite good agreement with the experiments. In addition, data gathered in a Soviet experiment were also found to be in close agreement with the theory.

High-pressure melting of molybdenum.

PubMed

Belonoshko, A B; Simak, S I; Kochetov, A E; Johansson, B; Burakovsky, L; Preston, D L

2004-05-14

The melting curve of the body-centered cubic (bcc) phase of Mo has been determined for a wide pressure range using both direct ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of melting as well as a phenomenological theory of melting. These two methods show very good agreement. The simulations are based on density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation. Our calculated equation of state of bcc Mo is in excellent agreement with experimental data. However, our melting curve is substantially higher than the one determined in diamond anvil cell experiments up to a pressure of 100 GPa. An explanation is suggested for this discrepancy.

Accurate ab initio quartic force fields for borane and BeH2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, J. M. L.; Lee, Timothy J.

1992-01-01

The quartic force fields of BH3 and BeH2 have been computed ab initio using an augmented coupled cluster (CCSD(T)) method and basis sets of spdf and spdfg quality. For BH3, the computed spectroscopic constants are in very good agreement with recent experimental data, and definitively confirm misassignments in some older work, in agreement with recent ab initio studies. Using the computed spectroscopic constants, the rovibrational partition function for both molecules has been constructed using a modified direct numerical summation algorithm, and JANAF-style thermochemical tables are presented.

Wavefront control performance modeling with WFIRST shaped pupil coronagraph testbed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Hanying; Nemati, Bijian; Krist, John; Cady, Eric; Kern, Brian; Poberezhskiy, Ilya

2017-09-01

NASA's WFIRST mission includes a coronagraph instrument (CGI) for direct imaging of exoplanets. Significant improvement in CGI model fidelity has been made recently, alongside a testbed high contrast demonstration in a simulated dynamic environment at JPL. We present our modeling method and results of comparisons to testbed's high order wavefront correction performance for the shaped pupil coronagraph. Agreement between model prediction and testbed result at better than a factor of 2 has been consistently achieved in raw contrast (contrast floor, chromaticity, and convergence), and with that comes good agreement in contrast sensitivity to wavefront perturbations and mask lateral shear.

Inter-operator and inter-device agreement and reliability of the SEM Scanner.

PubMed

Clendenin, Marta; Jaradeh, Kindah; Shamirian, Anasheh; Rhodes, Shannon L

2015-02-01

The SEM Scanner is a medical device designed for use by healthcare providers as part of pressure ulcer prevention programs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the inter-rater and inter-device agreement and reliability of the SEM Scanner. Thirty-one (31) volunteers free of pressure ulcers or broken skin at the sternum, sacrum, and heels were assessed with the SEM Scanner. Each of three operators utilized each of three devices to collect readings from four anatomical sites (sternum, sacrum, left and right heels) on each subject for a total of 108 readings per subject collected over approximately 30 min. For each combination of operator-device-anatomical site, three SEM readings were collected. Inter-operator and inter-device agreement and reliability were estimated. Over the course of this study, more than 3000 SEM Scanner readings were collected. Agreement between operators was good with mean differences ranging from -0.01 to 0.11. Inter-operator and inter-device reliability exceeded 0.80 at all anatomical sites assessed. The results of this study demonstrate the high reliability and good agreement of the SEM Scanner across different operators and different devices. Given the limitations of current methods to prevent and detect pressure ulcers, the SEM Scanner shows promise as an objective, reliable tool for assessing the presence or absence of pressure-induced tissue damage such as pressure ulcers. Copyright © 2015 Bruin Biometrics, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Good agreement between smart device and inertial sensor-based gait parameters during a 6-min walk.

PubMed

Proessl, F; Swanson, C W; Rudroff, T; Fling, B W; Tracy, B L

2018-05-28

Traditional laboratory-based kinetic and kinematic gait analyses are expensive, time-intensive, and impractical for clinical settings. Inertial sensors have gained popularity in gait analysis research and more recently smart devices have been employed to provide quantification of gait. However, no study to date has investigated the agreement between smart device and inertial sensor-based gait parameters during prolonged walking. Compare spatiotemporal gait metrics measured with a smart device versus previously validated inertial sensors. Twenty neurologically healthy young adults (7 women; age: 25.0 ± 3.7 years; BMI: 23.4 ± 2.9 kg/m 2 ) performed a 6-min walk test (6MWT) wearing inertial sensors and smart devices to record stride duration, stride length, cadence, and gait speed. Pearson correlations were used to assess associations between spatiotemporal measures from the two devices and agreement between the two methods was assessed with Bland-Altman plots and limits of agreement. All spatiotemporal gait metrics (stride duration, cadence, stride length and gait speed) showed strong (r>0.9) associations and good agreement between the two devices. Smart devices are capable of accurately reflecting many of the spatiotemporal gait metrics of inertial sensors. As the smart devices also accurately reflected individual leg output, future studies may apply this analytical strategy to clinical populations, to identify hallmarks of disability status and disease progression in a more ecologically valid environment. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

An integrated algorithm for hypersonic fluid-thermal-structural numerical simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jia-Wei; Wang, Jiang-Feng

2018-05-01

In this paper, a fluid-structural-thermal integrated method is presented based on finite volume method. A unified integral equations system is developed as the control equations for physical process of aero-heating and structural heat transfer. The whole physical field is discretized by using an up-wind finite volume method. To demonstrate its capability, the numerical simulation of Mach 6.47 flow over stainless steel cylinder shows a good agreement with measured values, and this method dynamically simulates the objective physical processes. Thus, the integrated algorithm proves to be efficient and reliable.

Effect of forward speed on the roll damping of three small fishing vessels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haddara, M.R.; Zhang, S.

1994-05-01

An extensive experimental program has been carried out to estimate roll damping parameters for three models of fishing vessels having different hull shapes and moving with forward speed. Roll damping parameters are determined using a novel method. This method combines the energy method and the modulating function method. The effect of forward speed, initial heel angle and the natural frequency on damping is discussed. A modification of Ikeda's formula for lift damping prediction is suggested. The modified formula produces results which are in good agreement with the experiments.

On the effect of boundary layer growth on the stability of compressible flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

El-Hady, N. M.

1981-01-01

The method of multiple scales is used to describe a formally correct method based on the nonparallel linear stability theory, that examines the two and three dimensional stability of compressible boundary layer flows. The method is applied to the supersonic flat plate layer at Mach number 4.5. The theoretical growth rates are in good agreement with experimental results. The method is also applied to the infinite-span swept wing transonic boundary layer with suction to evaluate the effect of the nonparallel flow on the development of crossflow disturbances.

Analytical performance, agreement and user-friendliness of six point-of-care testing urine analysers for urinary tract infection in general practice

PubMed Central

Schot, Marjolein J C; van Delft, Sanne; Kooijman-Buiting, Antoinette M J; de Wit, Niek J; Hopstaken, Rogier M

2015-01-01

Objective Various point-of-care testing (POCT) urine analysers are commercially available for routine urine analysis in general practice. The present study compares analytical performance, agreement and user-friendliness of six different POCT urine analysers for diagnosing urinary tract infection in general practice. Setting All testing procedures were performed at a diagnostic centre for primary care in the Netherlands. Urine samples were collected at four general practices. Primary and secondary outcome measures Analytical performance and agreement of the POCT analysers regarding nitrite, leucocytes and erythrocytes, with the laboratory reference standard, was the primary outcome measure, and analysed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and Cohen's κ coefficient for agreement. Secondary outcome measures were the user-friendliness of the POCT analysers, in addition to other characteristics of the analysers. Results The following six POCT analysers were evaluated: Uryxxon Relax (Macherey Nagel), Urisys 1100 (Roche), Clinitek Status (Siemens), Aution 11 (Menarini), Aution Micro (Menarini) and Urilyzer (Analyticon). Analytical performance was good for all analysers. Compared with laboratory reference standards, overall agreement was good, but differed per parameter and per analyser. Concerning the nitrite test, the most important test for clinical practice, all but one showed perfect agreement with the laboratory standard. For leucocytes and erythrocytes specificity was high, but sensitivity was considerably lower. Agreement for leucocytes varied between good to very good, and for the erythrocyte test between fair and good. First-time users indicated that the analysers were easy to use. They expected higher productivity and accuracy when using these analysers in daily practice. Conclusions The overall performance and user-friendliness of all six commercially available POCT urine analysers was sufficient to justify routine use in suspected urinary tract infections in general practice. PMID:25986635

Simulation of Hypervelocity Impact on Aluminum-Nextel-Kevlar Orbital Debris Shields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fahrenthold, Eric P.

2000-01-01

An improved hybrid particle-finite element method has been developed for hypervelocity impact simulation. The method combines the general contact-impact capabilities of particle codes with the true Lagrangian kinematics of large strain finite element formulations. Unlike some alternative schemes which couple Lagrangian finite element models with smooth particle hydrodynamics, the present formulation makes no use of slidelines or penalty forces. The method has been implemented in a parallel, three dimensional computer code. Simulations of three dimensional orbital debris impact problems using this parallel hybrid particle-finite element code, show good agreement with experiment and good speedup in parallel computation. The simulations included single and multi-plate shields as well as aluminum and composite shielding materials. at an impact velocity of eleven kilometers per second.

A Population-Based Assessment of the Agreement Between Grading of Goniophotographic Images and Gonioscopy in the Chinese-American Eye Study (CHES).

PubMed

Murakami, Yohko; Wang, Dandan; Burkemper, Bruce; Lin, Shan C; Varma, Rohit

2016-08-01

To compare grading of goniophotographic images and gonioscopy in assessing the iridocorneal angle. In a population-based, cross-sectional study, participants underwent gonioscopy and goniophotographic imaging during the same visit. The iridocorneal angle was classified as closed if the posterior trabecular meshwork could not be seen. A single masked observer graded the goniophotographic images, and each eye was classified as having angle closure based on the number of closed quadrants. Agreement between the methods was analyzed by calculating kappa (κ) and first-order agreement coefficient (AC1) statistics and comparison of area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC). A total of 4149 Chinese Americans (3994 eyes) were included in this study. The agreement for angle closure diagnosis between gonioscopy and EyeCam was moderate to excellent (κ = 0.60, AC1 0.90, AUC 0.76-0.80). Detection of iridocorneal angle closure based on goniophotographic imaging shows moderate to very good agreement with angle closure assessment using gonioscopy.

Halogenation effects on electron collisions with CF{sub 3}Cl, CF{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}, and CFCl{sub 3}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Freitas, T. C., E-mail: tcf03@fisica.ufpr.br; Lopes, A. R.; Bettega, M. H. F.

2016-04-28

We report differential and integral elastic cross sections for low-energy electron collisions with CF{sub 3}Cl, CF{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}, and CFCl{sub 3} molecules for energies ranging from 0.1 eV to 30 eV. The calculations were performed using the Schwinger multichannel method with pseudopotentials in the static-exchange and static-exchange plus polarization approximations. The influence of the permanent electric dipole moment on the cross sections was included using the Born closure scheme. A very good agreement between our calculations and the experimental results of Jones [J. Chem. Phys. 84, 813 (1986)], Mann and Linder [J. Phys. B 25, 1621 (1992); 25, 1633 (1992)]more » and Hoshino et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 138, 214305 (2013)] was found. We also compare our results with the calculations of Beyer et al. [Chem. Phys. 255, 1 (2000)] using the R-matrix method, where we find good agreement with respect to the location of the resonances, and with the calculations of Hoshino et al. using the independent atom method with screening corrected additivity rule, where we find qualitative agreement at energies above 20 eV. Additional electronic structure calculations were carried out in order to help in the interpretation of the scattering results. The stabilization the lowest σ{sup ∗} resonance due to the exchange of fluorine by chlorine atoms (halogenation effect) follows a simple linear relation with the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals and can be considered as a signature of the halogenation effect.« less

Influence of magnification and superimposition of structures on cephalometric diagnosis.

PubMed

Paula, Leonardo Koerich de; Solon-de-Mello, Priscilla de Almeida; Mattos, Claudia Trindade; Ruellas, Antônio Carlos de Oliveira; Sant'Anna, Eduardo Franzotti

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of magnification and superimposition of structures on CBCT-generated lateral cephalometric radiographs (LCR) using different segments of the cranium. CBCT scans of 10 patients were selected. Four LCR were generated using Dolphin Imaging(r) software: full-face, right side, left side and center of the head. A total of 40 images were imported into Radiocef Studio 2(r), and the angles of the most common cephalometric analyses were traced by the same observer twice and within a 10-day interval. Statistical analyses included intraexaminer agreement and comparison between methods by means of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman agreement tests. Intraexaminer agreement of the angles assessed by ICC was excellent (> 0.90) for 83% of measurements, good (between 0.75 and 0.90) for 15%, and moderate (between 0.50 and 0.75) for 2% of measurements. The comparison between methods by ICC was excellent for 68% of measurements, good for 26%, and moderate for 6%. Variables presenting wider confidence intervals (> 6o) in the Bland-Altman tests, in intraexaminer assessment, were: mandibular incisor angle, maxillary incisor angle, and occlusal plane angle. And in comparison methods the variables with wider confidence interval were: mandibular incisor, maxillary incisor, GoGn, occlusal plane angle, Frankfort horizontal plane (FHP), and CoA. Superimposition of structures seemed to influence the results more than magnification, and neither one of them significantly influenced the measurements. Considerable individual variability may occur, especially for mandibular and maxillary incisors, FHP and occlusal plane.

Review of Railgun Modeling Techniques: The Computation of Railgun Force and Other Key Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eckert, Nathan James

Currently, railgun force modeling either uses the simple "railgun force equation" or finite element methods. It is proposed here that a middle ground exists that does not require the solution of partial differential equations, is more readily implemented than finite element methods, and is more accurate than the traditional force equation. To develop this method, it is necessary to examine the core railgun factors: power supply mechanisms, the distribution of current in the rails and in the projectile which slides between them (called the armature), the magnetic field created by the current flowing through these rails, the inductance gradient (a key factor in simplifying railgun analysis, referred to as L'), the resultant Lorentz force, and the heating which accompanies this action. Common power supply technologies are investigated, and the shape of their current pulses are modeled. The main causes of current concentration are described, and a rudimentary method for computing current distribution in solid rails and a rectangular armature is shown to have promising accuracy with respect to outside finite element results. The magnetic field is modeled with two methods using the Biot-Savart law, and generally good agreement is obtained with respect to finite element methods (5.8% error on average). To get this agreement, a factor of 2 is added to the original formulation after seeing a reliable offset with FEM results. Three inductance gradient calculations are assessed, and though all agree with FEM results, the Kerrisk method and a regression analysis method developed by Murugan et al. (referred to as the LRM here) perform the best. Six railgun force computation methods are investigated, including the traditional railgun force equation, an equation produced by Waindok and Piekielny, and four methods inspired by the work of Xu et al. Overall, good agreement between the models and outside data is found, but each model's accuracy varies significantly between comparisons. Lastly, an approximation of the temperature profile in railgun rails originally presented by McCorkle and Bahder is replicated. In total, this work describes railgun technology and moderately complex railgun modeling methods, but is inconclusive about the presence of a middle-ground modeling method.

Thermodynamics of the Si-O-H System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacobson, Nathan S.; Opila, Elizabeth J.; Myers, Dwight; Copland, Evan

2004-01-01

Thermodynamic functions for Si(OH)4(g) and SiO(OH)2(g) have been measured using the transpiration method. A second law enthalpy of formation and entropy and a third law enthalpy of formation has been calculated for Si(OH)4. The results are in very good agreement with previous experimental measurements, ab-initio calculations, and estimates.

Holographic Moire Contouring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sciammarella, C. A.; Sainov, Ventseslav; Simova, Eli

1990-04-01

Theoretical analysis and experimental results on holographic moire contouring (HMC) of difussely reflecting objects are presented. The sensitivity and application constraints of the method are discussed. A high signal-to-noise ratio and contrast of the fringes is achieved through the use of high quality silver halide holographic plates HP-650. A good agreement between theoretical and experimental results is observed.

Simulated BRDF based on measured surface topography of metal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Haiyue; Haist, Tobias; Gronle, Marc; Osten, Wolfgang

2017-06-01

The radiative reflective properties of a calibration standard rough surface were simulated by ray tracing and the Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The simulation results have been used to compute the reflectance distribution functions (BRDF) of metal surfaces and have been compared with experimental measurements. The experimental and simulated results are in good agreement.

Analytic Study of Induced Pressure on Long Bodies of Revolution with Varying Nose Bluntness at Hypersonic Speeds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanHise, Vernon

1961-01-01

Pressure distributions and shock shapes for a series of cylindrical afterbodies having nose fineness ratios from 0.4 to 4 have been calculated by using the method of characteristics for a perfect gas. The fluid mediums investigated were air and helium and the Mach number range was from 5 to 40. Flow parameters obtained from blast-wave analogy gave good correlations of blunt-nose induced pressures and shock shapes. Experimental results are found to be in good agreement with the characteristic calculations. The concept of hypersonic similitude enables good correlation of the results with respect to body shape, Mach number, and ratio of specific heats.

Use of High-Resolution Continuum Source Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HR-CS FAAS) for Sequential Multi-Element Determination of Metals in Seawater and Wastewater Samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peña-Vázquez, E.; Barciela-Alonso, M. C.; Pita-Calvo, C.; Domínguez-González, R.; Bermejo-Barrera, P.

2015-09-01

The objective of this work is to develop a method for the determination of metals in saline matrices using high-resolution continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS FAAS). Module SFS 6 for sample injection was used in the manual mode, and flame operating conditions were selected. The main absorption lines were used for all the elements, and the number of selected analytical pixels were 5 (CP±2) for Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn, and 3 pixels for Mn (CP±1). Samples were acidified (0.5% (v/v) nitric acid), and the standard addition method was used for the sequential determination of the analytes in diluted samples (1:2). The method showed good precision (RSD(%) < 4%, except for Pb (6.5%)) and good recoveries. Accuracy was checked after the analysis of an SPS-WW2 wastewater reference material diluted with synthetic seawater (dilution 1:2), showing a good agreement between certified and experimental results.

46 CFR 390.5 - Agreement vessels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares between: (i) Two points in the United States; (ii..., Great Lakes, noncontiguous domestic, or short sea transportation trade. (iv) Engaged primarily in the water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares; and (v) Designated in the agreement as a...

46 CFR 390.5 - Agreement vessels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares between: (i) Two points in the United States; (ii..., Great Lakes, noncontiguous domestic, or short sea transportation trade. (iv) Engaged primarily in the water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares; and (v) Designated in the agreement as a...

46 CFR 390.5 - Agreement vessels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares between: (i) Two points in the United States; (ii..., Great Lakes, noncontiguous domestic, or short sea transportation trade. (iv) Engaged primarily in the water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares; and (v) Designated in the agreement as a...

46 CFR 390.5 - Agreement vessels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares between: (i) Two points in the United States; (ii..., Great Lakes, noncontiguous domestic, or short sea transportation trade. (iv) Engaged primarily in the water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares; and (v) Designated in the agreement as a...

46 CFR 390.5 - Agreement vessels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares between: (i) Two points in the United States; (ii..., Great Lakes, noncontiguous domestic, or short sea transportation trade. (iv) Engaged primarily in the water-borne carriage of men, materials, goods or wares; and (v) Designated in the agreement as a...

What is the best method for assessing lower limb force-velocity relationship?

PubMed

Giroux, C; Rabita, G; Chollet, D; Guilhem, G

2015-02-01

This study determined the concurrent validity and reliability of force, velocity and power measurements provided by accelerometry, linear position transducer and Samozino's methods, during loaded squat jumps. 17 subjects performed squat jumps on 2 separate occasions in 7 loading conditions (0-60% of the maximal concentric load). Force, velocity and power patterns were averaged over the push-off phase using accelerometry, linear position transducer and a method based on key positions measurements during squat jump, and compared to force plate measurements. Concurrent validity analyses indicated very good agreement with the reference method (CV=6.4-14.5%). Force, velocity and power patterns comparison confirmed the agreement with slight differences for high-velocity movements. The validity of measurements was equivalent for all tested methods (r=0.87-0.98). Bland-Altman plots showed a lower agreement for velocity and power compared to force. Mean force, velocity and power were reliable for all methods (ICC=0.84-0.99), especially for Samozino's method (CV=2.7-8.6%). Our findings showed that present methods are valid and reliable in different loading conditions and permit between-session comparisons and characterization of training-induced effects. While linear position transducer and accelerometer allow for examining the whole time-course of kinetic patterns, Samozino's method benefits from a better reliability and ease of processing. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Finite element analysis of flowfield in the single hole film cooling technique.

PubMed

Bazdidi-Tehrani, F; Mahmoodi, A A

2001-05-01

Film cooling is currently used in gas turbine hot sections, such as the combustor wall and the turbine blades, to prevent those sections from failing at elevated temperatures. In the single hole film cooling method, coolant air is injected from a hole into the mainstream and thus the flow is naturally three dimensional. In this paper, the Navier-Stokes and the energy equations are solved on a flat plate by the Finite Element Method (FEM) using brick elements. Algebraic equations are obtained by use of the Petrov-Galerkin method. The pressure term is removed from the momentum equations, by employing the Penalty method. The governing equations are transient and the flow is incompressible and turbulent. The model of turbulence in the near wall region is the wall function method, and in the fully turbulent region is the k-epsilon model. The system of the algebraic equations are solved by the Frontal method. The coolant injection angle and the blowing rate are among the parameters which are studied. In order to examine the present computer code, the results are compared with the Blasius (exact) solution and also with the empirical 1/7th power-law and good agreement is shown. Also, the optimum cooling performance is shown to be at 35 degree angle of coolant injection and the optimum blowing rate is 0.5. The film cooling effectiveness data, at the optimum conditions, is directly compared with the experimental results of Goldstein et al. and good agreement is demonstrated.

Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using NCEP-ATPIII, IDF and WHO Definition and Its Agreement in Gwalior Chambal Region of Central India

PubMed Central

Yadav, Dhananjay; Mahajan, Sunil; Subramanian, Senthil K.; Bisen, Prakash Singh; Chung, Choon Hee; Prasad, GBKS

2013-01-01

The aim of study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) ATPIII Criteria, International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization (WHO) definitions were used in quantifying the metabolic syndrome and also the concordance between these three criteria’s used for identifying metabolic syndrome. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 700 type 2 diabetic subjects from the urban areas of Gwalior Chambal region (Central India). Subjects in the age group of 28-87 yrs were included in the study. Type I diabetics, pregnant ladies and those with chronic viral and bacterial infections and serious metabolic disorders were excluded from the study. Fasting blood glucose, Blood lipids (T-cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol) were assessed and anthropometry blood pressure were measured from all the subjects. Results: The Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was found to be 45.8%, 57.7% and 28% following NCEP-ATPIII Criteria, IDF and WHO definitions, respectively. Using all the three definitions the prevalence was higher in women in all age groups. ATP III and IDF criteria showed good agreement (κ 0.68) compared to ATP III with WHO (κ 0.54) and IDF with WHO (κ 0.34) criteria. Highest prevalence was observed following IDF definition. Conclusions: A good agreement was observed between ATPIII and IDF criteria. Maximum prevalence of Metabolic syndrome was recorded when IDF criteria was followed. NCEP-ATPIII criteria for the diagnosis of MetS and this criterion reflected equal importance to the every variable and showed a good agreement between the different criteria used. PMID:24171882

Left ventricular mass and hypertrophy by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.

PubMed

Armstrong, Anderson C; Gjesdal, Ola; Almeida, André; Nacif, Marcelo; Wu, Colin; Bluemke, David A; Brumback, Lyndia; Lima, João A C

2014-01-01

Left ventricular mass (LVM) and hypertrophy (LVH) are important parameters, but their use is surrounded by controversies. We compare LVM by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), investigating reproducibility aspects and the effect of echocardiography image quality. We also compare indexing methods within and between imaging modalities for classification of LVH and cardiovascular risk. Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis enrolled 880 participants in Baltimore city, 146 had echocardiograms and CMR on the same day. LVM was then assessed using standard techniques. Echocardiography image quality was rated (good/limited) according to the parasternal view. LVH was defined after indexing LVM to body surface area, height(1.7) , height(2.7) , or by the predicted LVM from a reference group. Participants were classified for cardiovascular risk according to Framingham score. Pearson's correlation, Bland-Altman plots, percent agreement, and kappa coefficient assessed agreement within and between modalities. Left ventricular mass by echocardiography (140 ± 40 g) and by CMR were correlated (r = 0.8, P < 0.001) regardless of the echocardiography image quality. The reproducibility profile had strong correlations and agreement for both modalities. Image quality groups had similar characteristics; those with good images compared to CMR slightly superiorly. The prevalence of LVH tended to be higher with higher cardiovascular risk. The agreement for LVH between imaging modalities ranged from 77% to 98% and the kappa coefficient from 0.10 to 0.76. Echocardiography has a reliable performance for LVM assessment and classification of LVH, with limited influence of image quality. Echocardiography and CMR differ in the assessment of LVH, and additional differences rise from the indexing methods. © 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

75 FR 72987 - Brokers of Household Goods Transportation by Motor Vehicle

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-29

... revise broker marketing materials, forms, and orders for service, including technical writing, Web site... are FMCSA-authorized household goods motor carriers with which the broker has a written agreement, as... broker has a written agreement, as required by Sec. 371.115. We agree that brokers should not...

A method for analyzing dynamic stall of helicopter rotor blades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crimi, P.; Reeves, B. L.

1972-01-01

A model for each of the basic flow elements involved in the unsteady stall of a two-dimensional airfoil in incompressible flow is presented. The interaction of these elements is analyzed using a digital computer. Computations of the loading during transient and sinusoidal pitching motions are in good qualitative agreement with measured loads. The method was used to confirm that large torsional response of helicopter blades detected in flight tests can be attributed to dynamic stall.

A wet chemical method for the estimation of carbon in uranium carbides.

PubMed

Chandramouli, V; Yadav, R B; Rao, P R

1987-09-01

A wet chemical method for the estimation of carbon in uranium carbides has been developed, based on oxidation with a saturated solution of sodium dichromate in 9M sulphuric acid, absorption of the evolved carbon dioxide in a known excess of barium hydroxide solution, and titration of the excess of barium hydroxide with standard potassium hydrogen phthalate solution. The carbon content obtained is in good agreement with that obtained by combustion and titration.

Measurement of in vitro and in vivo stent geometry and deformation by means of 3D imaging and stereo-photogrammetry.

PubMed

Zwierzak, Iwona; Cosentino, Daria; Narracott, Andrew J; Bonhoeffer, Philipp; Diaz, Vanessa; Fenner, John W; Schievano, Silvia

2014-12-01

To quantify variability of in vitro and in vivo measurement of 3D device geometry using 3D and biplanar imaging. Comparison of stent reconstruction is reported for in vitro coronary stent deployment (using micro-CT and optical stereo-photogrammetry) and in vivo pulmonary valve stent deformation (using 4DCT and biplanar fluoroscopy). Coronary stent strut length and inter-strut angle were compared in the fully deployed configuration. Local (inter-strut angle) and global (dog-boning ratio) measures of stent deformation were reported during stent deployment. Pulmonary valve stent geometry was assessed throughout the cardiac cycle by reconstruction of stent geometry and measurement of stent diameter. Good agreement was obtained between methods for assessment of coronary stent geometry with maximum disagreement of +/- 0.03 mm (length) and +/- 3 degrees (angle). The stent underwent large, non-uniform, local deformations during balloon inflation, which did not always correlate with changes in stent diameter. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the pulmonary valve stent was feasible for all frames of the fluoroscopy and for 4DCT images, with good correlation between the diameters calculated from the two methods. The largest compression of the stent during the cardiac cycle was 6.98% measured from fluoroscopy and 7.92% from 4DCT, both in the most distal ring. Quantitative assessment of stent geometry reconstructed from biplanar imaging methods in vitro and in vivo has shown good agreement with geometry reconstructed from 3D techniques. As a result of their short image acquisition time, biplanar methods may have significant advantages in the measurement of dynamic 3D stent deformation.

Carotid stenosis assessment with multi-detector CT angiography: comparison between manual and automatic segmentation methods.

PubMed

Zhu, Chengcheng; Patterson, Andrew J; Thomas, Owen M; Sadat, Umar; Graves, Martin J; Gillard, Jonathan H

2013-04-01

Luminal stenosis is used for selecting the optimal management strategy for patients with carotid artery disease. The aim of this study is to evaluate the reproducibility of carotid stenosis quantification using manual and automated segmentation methods using submillimeter through-plane resolution Multi-Detector CT angiography (MDCTA). 35 patients having carotid artery disease with >30 % luminal stenosis as identified by carotid duplex imaging underwent contrast enhanced MDCTA. Two experienced CT readers quantified carotid stenosis from axial source images, reconstructed maximum intensity projection (MIP) and 3D-carotid geometry which was automatically segmented by an open-source toolkit (Vascular Modelling Toolkit, VMTK) using NASCET criteria. Good agreement among the measurement using axial images, MIP and automatic segmentation was observed. Automatic segmentation methods show better inter-observer agreement between the readers (intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC): 0.99 for diameter stenosis measurement) than manual measurement of axial (ICC = 0.82) and MIP (ICC = 0.86) images. Carotid stenosis quantification using an automatic segmentation method has higher reproducibility compared with manual methods.

Modified harmonic balance method for the solution of nonlinear jerk equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, M. Saifur; Hasan, A. S. M. Z.

2018-03-01

In this paper, a second approximate solution of nonlinear jerk equations (third order differential equation) can be obtained by using modified harmonic balance method. The method is simpler and easier to carry out the solution of nonlinear differential equations due to less number of nonlinear equations are required to solve than the classical harmonic balance method. The results obtained from this method are compared with those obtained from the other existing analytical methods that are available in the literature and the numerical method. The solution shows a good agreement with the numerical solution as well as the analytical methods of the available literature.

Cluster analysis of European Y-chromosomal STR haplotypes using the discrete Laplace method.

PubMed

Andersen, Mikkel Meyer; Eriksen, Poul Svante; Morling, Niels

2014-07-01

The European Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) haplotype distribution has previously been analysed in various ways. Here, we introduce a new way of analysing population substructure using a new method based on clustering within the discrete Laplace exponential family that models the probability distribution of the Y-STR haplotypes. Creating a consistent statistical model of the haplotypes enables us to perform a wide range of analyses. Previously, haplotype frequency estimation using the discrete Laplace method has been validated. In this paper we investigate how the discrete Laplace method can be used for cluster analysis to further validate the discrete Laplace method. A very important practical fact is that the calculations can be performed on a normal computer. We identified two sub-clusters of the Eastern and Western European Y-STR haplotypes similar to results of previous studies. We also compared pairwise distances (between geographically separated samples) with those obtained using the AMOVA method and found good agreement. Further analyses that are impossible with AMOVA were made using the discrete Laplace method: analysis of the homogeneity in two different ways and calculating marginal STR distributions. We found that the Y-STR haplotypes from e.g. Finland were relatively homogeneous as opposed to the relatively heterogeneous Y-STR haplotypes from e.g. Lublin, Eastern Poland and Berlin, Germany. We demonstrated that the observed distributions of alleles at each locus were similar to the expected ones. We also compared pairwise distances between geographically separated samples from Africa with those obtained using the AMOVA method and found good agreement. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interobserver Variability in Histologic Evaluation of Liver Fibrosis Using Categorical and Quantitative Scores.

PubMed

Pavlides, Michael; Birks, Jacqueline; Fryer, Eve; Delaney, David; Sarania, Nikita; Banerjee, Rajarshi; Neubauer, Stefan; Barnes, Eleanor; Fleming, Kenneth A; Wang, Lai Mun

2017-04-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the interobserver agreement for categorical and quantitative scores of liver fibrosis. Sixty-five consecutive biopsy specimens from patients with mixed liver disease etiologies were assessed by three pathologists using the Ishak and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN) scoring systems, and the fibrosis area (collagen proportionate area [CPA]) was estimated by visual inspection (visual-CPA). A subset of 20 biopsy specimens was analyzed using digital imaging analysis (DIA) for the measurement of CPA (DIA-CPA). The bivariate weighted κ between any two pathologists ranged from 0.57 to 0.67 for Ishak staging and from 0.47 to 0.57 for the NASH CRN staging. Bland-Altman analysis showed poor agreement between all possible pathologist pairings for visual-CPA but good agreement between all pathologist pairings for DIA-CPA. There was good agreement between the two pathologists who assessed biopsy specimens by visual-CPA and DIA-CPA. The intraclass correlation coefficient, which is equivalent to the κ statistic for continuous variables, was 0.78 for visual-CPA and 0.97 for DIA-CPA. These results suggest that DIA-CPA is the most robust method for assessing liver fibrosis followed by visual-CPA. Categorical scores perform less well than both the quantitative CPA scores assessed here. © American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

The Association Between Self-Rated Fitness and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Adults.

PubMed

Jensen, Karina Gregersen; Rosthøj, Susanne; Linneberg, Allan; Aadahl, Mette

2018-06-01

To assess criterion validity of a single item question on self-rated physical fitness against objectively measured cardiorespiratory fitness. From the Health2008 study 749 men and women between 30 and 60 years of age rated their fitness as excellent, very good, good, fair or poor. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated with the watt-max test. Agreement between self-rated and objectively measured physical fitness was assessed by Cohen's weighted kappa coefficient. Correlation was determined by Goodman & Kruskal's gamma correlation coefficient. All analyses were stratified according to gender. Data from 323 men and 426 women were analysed. There was a slight agreement between self-rated and objectively measured fitness in men (weighted kappa: 0.18, [95%CI: 0.13;0.23]) and a fair agreement in women (weighted kappa: 0.27, [95%CI: 0.22;0.32]). In both genders, self-rated fitness was positively correlated with objectively measured fitness (moderate correlation; gamma correlation coefficient for men: 0.63 [95%CI: 0.54;0.72] and women: 0.67 [95%CI: 0.59;0.75]). There was a slight to fair agreement and moderate, positive correlations between self-rated physical fitness and watt-max estimated cardiorespiratory fitness. Hence, a single-item question on physical fitness may be a cost-effective method of assessing fitness in large population studies, but is not valid for individual assessments. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Steps towards Smarter Solutions in Optometry and Ophthalmology—Inter-Device Agreement of Subjective Methods to Assess the Refractive Errors of the Eye

PubMed Central

Ohlendorf, Arne; Leube, Alexander; Wahl, Siegfried

2016-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the inter-device agreement and mean differences between a newly developed digital phoropter and the two standard methods (trial frame and manual phoropter). Methods: Refractive errors of two groups of participants were measured by two examiners (examiner 1 (E1): 36 subjects; examiner 2 (E2): 38 subjects). Refractive errors were assessed using a trial frame, a manual phoropter and a digital phoropter. Inter-device agreement regarding the measurement of refractive errors was analyzed for differences in terms of the power vector components (spherical equivalent (SE) and the cylindrical power vector components J0 and J45) between the used methods. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC’s) were calculated to evaluate correlations between the used methods. Results: Analyzing the variances between the three methods for SE, J0 and J45 using a two-way ANOVA showed no significant differences between the methods (SE: p = 0.13, J0: p = 0.58 and J45: p = 0.96) for examiner 1 and for examiner 2 (SE: p = 0.88, J0: p = 0.95 and J45: p = 1). Mean differences and ±95% Limits of Agreement for each pair of inter-device agreement regarding the SE for both examiners were as follows: Trial frame vs. digital phoropter: +0.10 D ± 0.56 D (E1) and +0.19 D ± 0.60 D (E2), manual phoropter vs. trial frame: −0.04 D ± 0.59 D (E1) and −0.12 D ± 0.49 D (E2) and for manual vs. digital phoropter: +0.06 D ± 0.65 D (E1) and +0.08 D ± 0.45 D (E2). ICCs revealed high correlations between all methods for both examiner (p < 0.001). The time to assess the subjective refraction was significantly smaller with the digital phoropter (examiner 1: p < 0.001; examiner 2: p < 0.001). Conclusion: “All used subjective methods show a good agreement between each other terms of ICC (>0.9). Assessing refractive errors using different subjective methods, results in similar mean differences and 95% limits of agreement, when compared to those reported in studies comparing subjective refraction non-cylcoplegic retinoscopy or autorefraction”. PMID:27417629

Decoupling the NLO-coupled QED⊗QCD, DGLAP evolution equations, using Laplace transform method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mottaghizadeh, Marzieh; Eslami, Parvin; Taghavi-Shahri, Fatemeh

2017-05-01

We analytically solved the QED⊗QCD-coupled DGLAP evolution equations at leading order (LO) quantum electrodynamics (QED) and next-to-leading order (NLO) quantum chromodynamics (QCD) approximations, using the Laplace transform method and then computed the proton structure function in terms of the unpolarized parton distribution functions. Our analytical solutions for parton densities are in good agreement with those from CT14QED (1.2952 < Q2 < 1010) (Ref. 6) global parametrizations and APFEL (A PDF Evolution Library) (2 < Q2 < 108) (Ref. 4). We also compared the proton structure function, F2p(x,Q2), with the experimental data released by the ZEUS and H1 collaborations at HERA. There is a nice agreement between them in the range of low and high x and Q2.

The viscoelastic behavior of a composite in a thermal environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, D. H.; Brinson, H. F.; Griffith, W. I.; Yeow, Y. T.

1979-01-01

A proposed method for the accelerated predictions of modulus and life times for time dependent polymer matrix composite laminates is presented. The method, based on the time temperature superposition principle and lamination theory, is described in detail. Unidirectional reciprocal of compliance master curves and the shift functions needed are presented and discussed. Master curves for arbitrarily oriented unidirectional laminates are predicted and compared with experimantal results obtained from master curves generated from 15 minute tests and with 25 hour tests. Good agreement is shown. Predicted 30 deg and 60 deg unidirectional strength master curves are presented and compared to results of creep rupture tests. Reasonable agreement is demonstrated. In addition, creep rupture results for a (90 deg + or - 60 deg/90 deg) sub 2s laminate are presented.

Simultaneous determination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in dried plasma and urine spots.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Daniel; Melloni, Chiara; Poindexter, Brenda B; Yogev, Ram; Atz, Andrew M; Sullivan, Janice E; Mendley, Susan R; Delmore, Paula; Delinsky, Amy; Zimmerman, Kanecia; Lewandowski, Andrew; Harper, Barrie; Lewis, Kenneth C; Benjamin, Daniel K; Cohen-Wolkowiez, Michael

2015-01-01

Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) is an antimicrobial drug combination commonly prescribed in children and adults. The study objectives were to validate and apply an HPLC-MS/MS method to quantify TMP-SMX in dried plasma spots (DPS) and dried urine spots (DUS), and perform a comparability analysis with liquid matrices. For TMP the validated range was 100-50,000 ng/ml for DPS and 500-250,000 ng/ml for DUS; for SMX, the validated range was 1000-500,000 ng/ml for both DPS and DUS. Good agreement was noted between DPS/DUS and liquid plasma and urine samples for TMP, while only modest agreement was observed for SMX in both matrices. A precise, accurate and reproducible method was developed to quantify TMP-SMX in DPS and DUS samples.

Radiological findings for hip dysplasia at skeletal maturity. Validation of digital and manual measurement techniques.

PubMed

Engesæter, Ingvild Øvstebø; Laborie, Lene Bjerke; Lehmann, Trude Gundersen; Sera, Francesco; Fevang, Jonas; Pedersen, Douglas; Morcuende, José; Lie, Stein Atle; Engesæter, Lars Birger; Rosendahl, Karen

2012-07-01

To report on intra-observer, inter-observer, and inter-method reliability and agreement for radiological measurements used in the diagnosis of hip dysplasia at skeletal maturity, as obtained by a manual and a digital measurement technique. Pelvic radiographs from 95 participants (56 females) in a follow-up hip study of 18- to 19-year-old patients were included. Eleven radiological measurements relevant for hip dysplasia (Sharp's, Wiberg's, and Ogata's angles; acetabular roof angle of Tönnis; articulo-trochanteric distance; acetabular depth-width ratio; femoral head extrusion index; maximum teardrop width; and the joint space width in three different locations) were validated. Three observers measured the radiographs using both a digital measurement program and manually in AgfaWeb1000. Inter-method and inter- and intra-observer agreement were analyzed using the mean differences between the readings/readers, establishing the 95% limits of agreement. We also calculated the minimum detectable change and the intra-class correlation coefficient. Large variations among different radiological measurements were demonstrated. However, the variation was not related to the use of either the manual or digital measurement technique. For measurements with greater absolute values (Sharp's angle, femoral head extrusion index, and acetabular depth-width ratio) the inter- and intra-observer and inter-method agreements were better as compared to measurements with lower absolute values (acetabular roof angle, teardrop and joint space width). The inter- and intra-observer variation differs notably across different radiological measurements relevant for hip dysplasia at skeletal maturity, a fact that should be taken into account in clinical practice. The agreement between the manual and digital methods is good.

Agreement between pedometer and accelerometer in measuring physical activity in overweight and obese pregnant women.

PubMed

Kinnunen, Tarja I; Tennant, Peter W G; McParlin, Catherine; Poston, Lucilla; Robson, Stephen C; Bell, Ruth

2011-06-27

Inexpensive, reliable objective methods are needed to measure physical activity (PA) in large scale trials. This study compared the number of pedometer step counts with accelerometer data in pregnant women in free-living conditions to assess agreement between these measures. Pregnant women (n = 58) with body mass index ≥25 kg/m(2) at median 13 weeks' gestation wore a GT1M Actigraph accelerometer and a Yamax Digi-Walker CW-701 pedometer for four consecutive days. The Spearman rank correlation coefficients were determined between pedometer step counts and various accelerometer measures of PA. Total agreement between accelerometer and pedometer step counts was evaluated by determining the 95% limits of agreement estimated using a regression-based method. Agreement between the monitors in categorising participants as active or inactive was assessed by determining Kappa. Pedometer step counts correlated moderately (r = 0.36 to 0.54) with most accelerometer measures of PA. Overall step counts recorded by the pedometer and the accelerometer were not significantly different (medians 5961 vs. 5687 steps/day, p = 0.37). However, the 95% limits of agreement ranged from -2690 to 2656 steps/day for the mean step count value (6026 steps/day) and changed substantially over the range of values. Agreement between the monitors in categorising participants to active and inactive varied from moderate to good depending on the criteria adopted. Despite statistically significant correlations and similar median step counts, the overall agreement between pedometer and accelerometer step counts was poor and varied with activity level. Pedometer and accelerometer steps cannot be used interchangeably in overweight and obese pregnant women.

Accuracy of MRI skeletal age estimation for subjects 12-19. Potential use for subjects of unknown age.

PubMed

Serinelli, Serenella; Panebianco, Valeria; Martino, Milvia; Battisti, Sofia; Rodacki, Karina; Marinelli, Enrico; Zaccagna, Fulvio; Semelka, Richard C; Tomei, Ernesto

2015-05-01

In forensic practice, there is a growing need for accurate methods of age estimation, especially in the cases of young individuals of unknown age. Age can be estimated through somatic features that are universally considered associated with chronological age. Unfortunately, these features do not always coincide with the real chronological age: for these reasons that age determination is often very difficult. Our aim is to evaluate accuracy of skeletal age estimation using Tomei's MRI method in subjects between 12 and 19 years old for forensic purposes. Two investigators analyzed MRI images of the left hand and wrist of 77 male and 74 female caucasian subjects, without chronic diseases or developmental disorders, whose age ranged from 12 to 19 years. Skeletal maturation was determined by two operators, who analyzed all MRI images separately, in blinded fashion to the chronological age. Inter-rater agreement was measured with Pearson (R (2)) coefficient. One of the examiners repeated the evaluation after 6 months, and intraobserver variation was analyzed. Bland-Altman plots were used to determine mean differences between skeletal and chronological age. Inter-rater agreement Pearson coefficient showed a good linear correlation, respectively, 0.98 and 0.97 in males and females. Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated that the differences between chronological and skeletal age are not significant. Spearman's correlation coefficient showed good correlation between skeletal and chronological age both in females (R (2) = 0.96) and in males (R (2) = 0.94). Our results show that MRI skeletal age is a reproducible method and has good correlation with chronological age.

Development of Viscoelastic Multi-Body Simulation and Impact Response Analysis of a Ballasted Railway Track under Cyclic Loading

PubMed Central

Nishiura, Daisuke; Sakaguchi, Hide; Aikawa, Akira

2017-01-01

Simulation of a large number of deformable bodies is often difficult because complex high-level modeling is required to address both multi-body contact and viscoelastic deformation. This necessitates the combined use of a discrete element method (DEM) and a finite element method (FEM). In this study, a quadruple discrete element method (QDEM) was developed for dynamic analysis of viscoelastic materials using a simpler algorithm compared to the standard FEM. QDEM easily incorporates the contact algorithm used in DEM. As the first step toward multi-body simulation, the fundamental performance of QDEM was investigated for viscoelastic analysis. The amplitude and frequency of cantilever elastic vibration were nearly equal to those obtained by the standard FEM. A comparison of creep recovery tests with an analytical solution showed good agreement between them. In addition, good correlation between the attenuation degree and the real physical viscosity was confirmed for viscoelastic vibration analysis. Therefore, the high accuracy of QDEM in the fundamental analysis of infinitesimal viscoelastic deformations was verified. Finally, the impact response of a ballast and sleeper under cyclic loading on a railway track was analyzed using QDEM as an application of deformable multi-body dynamics. The results showed that the vibration of the ballasted track was qualitatively in good agreement with the actual measurements. Moreover, the ballast layer with high friction reduced the ballasted track deterioration. This study suggests that QDEM, as an alternative to DEM and FEM, can provide deeper insights into the contact dynamics of a large number of deformable bodies. PMID:28772974

Development of Viscoelastic Multi-Body Simulation and Impact Response Analysis of a Ballasted Railway Track under Cyclic Loading.

PubMed

Nishiura, Daisuke; Sakaguchi, Hide; Aikawa, Akira

2017-06-03

Simulation of a large number of deformable bodies is often difficult because complex high-level modeling is required to address both multi-body contact and viscoelastic deformation. This necessitates the combined use of a discrete element method (DEM) and a finite element method (FEM). In this study, a quadruple discrete element method (QDEM) was developed for dynamic analysis of viscoelastic materials using a simpler algorithm compared to the standard FEM. QDEM easily incorporates the contact algorithm used in DEM. As the first step toward multi-body simulation, the fundamental performance of QDEM was investigated for viscoelastic analysis. The amplitude and frequency of cantilever elastic vibration were nearly equal to those obtained by the standard FEM. A comparison of creep recovery tests with an analytical solution showed good agreement between them. In addition, good correlation between the attenuation degree and the real physical viscosity was confirmed for viscoelastic vibration analysis. Therefore, the high accuracy of QDEM in the fundamental analysis of infinitesimal viscoelastic deformations was verified. Finally, the impact response of a ballast and sleeper under cyclic loading on a railway track was analyzed using QDEM as an application of deformable multi-body dynamics. The results showed that the vibration of the ballasted track was qualitatively in good agreement with the actual measurements. Moreover, the ballast layer with high friction reduced the ballasted track deterioration. This study suggests that QDEM, as an alternative to DEM and FEM, can provide deeper insights into the contact dynamics of a large number of deformable bodies.

Infusion volume control and calculation using metronome and drop counter based intravenous infusion therapy helper.

PubMed

Park, Kyungnam; Lee, Jangyoung; Kim, Soo-Young; Kim, Jinwoo; Kim, Insoo; Choi, Seung Pill; Jeong, Sikyung; Hong, Sungyoup

2013-06-01

This study assessed the method of fluid infusion control using an IntraVenous Infusion Controller (IVIC). Four methods of infusion control (dial flow controller, IV set without correction, IV set with correction and IVIC correction) were used to measure the volume of each technique at two infusion rates. The infused fluid volume with a dial flow controller was significantly larger than other methods. The infused fluid volume was significantly smaller with an IV set without correction over time. Regarding the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) of infused fluid volume in relation to a target volume, IVIC correction was shown to have the highest level of agreement. The flow rate measured in check mode showed a good agreement with the volume of collected fluid after passing through the IV system. Thus, an IVIC could assist in providing an accurate infusion control. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Inter-observer reliability of radiographic classifications and measurements in the assessment of Perthes' disease.

PubMed

Wiig, Ola; Terjesen, Terje; Svenningsen, Svein

2002-10-01

We evaluated the inter-observer agreement of radiographic methods when evaluating patients with Perthes' disease. The radiographs were assessed at the time of diagnosis and at the 1-year follow-up by local orthopaedic surgeons (O) and 2 experienced pediatric orthopedic surgeons (TT and SS). The Catterall, Salter-Thompson, and Herring lateral pillar classifications were compared, and the femoral head coverage (FHC), center-edge angle (CE-angle), and articulo-trochanteric distance (ATD) were measured in the affected and normal hips. On the primary evaluation, the lateral pillar and Salter-Thompson classifications had a higher level of agreement among the observers than the Catterall classification, but none of the classifications showed good agreement (weighted kappa values between O and SS 0.56, 0.54, 0.49, respectively). Combining Catterall groups 1 and 2 into one group, and groups 3 and 4 into another resulted in better agreement (kappa 0.55) than with the original 4-group system. The agreement was also better (kappa 0.62-0.70) between experienced than between less experienced examiners for all classifications. The femoral head coverage was a more reliable and accurate measure than the CE-angle for quantifying the acetabular covering of the femoral head, as indicated by higher intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and smaller inter-observer differences. The ATD showed good agreement in all comparisons and had low interobserver differences. We conclude that all classifications of femoral head involvement are adequate in clinical work if the radiographic assessment is done by experienced examiners. When they are less experienced examiners, a 2-group classification or the lateral pillar classification is more reliable. For evaluation of containment of the femoral head, FHC is more appropriate than the CE-angle.

Characteristics of the annular beam using a single axicon and a pair of lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Ke; Lei, Ming; Yao, Baoli; Yan, Shaohui; Yang, Yanlong; Li, Ze; Dan, Dan; Menke, Neimule

2012-10-01

In optical trapping, annular beam as a kind of hollow beam is used to increase the axial trapping efficiency as well as the trapping stability. In this paper, a method for producing an annular beam by a system consisting of a single axicon and a pair of lens is proposed. The generated beam was also used as the optical tweezers. We use the geometrical optics to describe the propagation of light in the system. The calculated intensity distribution in three-dimensional space after the system shows a good agreement with the experimental results. The advantages of this method are simplicity of operation, good stability, and high transmittance, having possible applications in fields like optical microscopic, optical manipulation and electronic acceleration, etc.

A fast determination method for transverse relaxation of spin-exchange-relaxation-free magnetometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, Jixi, E-mail: lujixi@buaa.edu.cn; Qian, Zheng; Fang, Jiancheng

2015-04-15

We propose a fast and accurate determination method for transverse relaxation of the spin-exchange-relaxation-free (SERF) magnetometer. This method is based on the measurement of magnetic resonance linewidth via a chirped magnetic field excitation and the amplitude spectrum analysis. Compared with the frequency sweeping via separate sinusoidal excitation, our method can realize linewidth determination within only few seconds and meanwhile obtain good frequency resolution. Therefore, it can avoid the drift error in long term measurement and improve the accuracy of the determination. As the magnetic resonance frequency of the SERF magnetometer is very low, we include the effect of the negativemore » resonance frequency caused by the chirp and achieve the coefficient of determination of the fitting results better than 0.998 with 95% confidence bounds to the theoretical equation. The experimental results are in good agreement with our theoretical analysis.« less

Interrater agreement in the interpretation of neonatal electroencephalography in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

PubMed

Wusthoff, Courtney J; Sullivan, Joseph; Glass, Hannah C; Shellhaas, Renée A; Abend, Nicholas S; Chang, Taeun; Tsuchida, Tammy N

2017-03-01

Research using neonatal electroencephalography (EEG) has been limited by a lack of a standardized classification system and interpretation terminology. In 2013, the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) published a guideline for standardized terminology and categorization in the description of continuous EEG in neonates. We sought to assess interrater agreement for this neonatal EEG categorization system as applied by a group of pediatric neurophysiologists. A total of 60 neonatal EEG studies were collected from three institutions. All EEG segments were from term neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Three pediatric neurophysiologists independently reviewed each record using the ACNS standardized scoring system. Unweighted kappa values were calculated for interrater agreement of categorical data across multiple observers. Interrater agreement was very good for identification of seizures (κ = 0.93, p < 0.001), with perfect agreement in 95% of records (57 of 60). Interrater agreement was moderate for classifying records as normal or having any abnormality (κ = 0.49, p < 0.001), with perfect agreement in 78% of records (47 of 60). Interrater agreement was good in classifying EEG backgrounds on a 5-category scale (normal, excessively discontinuous, burst suppression, status epilepticus, or electrocerebral inactivity) (κ = 0.70, p < 0.001), with perfect agreement in 72% of records (43 of 60). Other specific background features had lower agreement, including voltage (κ = 0.41, p < 0.001), variability (κ = 0.35, p < 0.001), symmetry (κ = 0.18, p = 0.01), presence of abnormal sharp waves (κ < 0.20, p < 0.05), and presence of brief rhythmic discharges (κ < 0.20, p < 0.05). We found good or very good interrater agreement applying the ACNS system for identification of seizures and classification of EEG background. Other specific EEG features showed limited interrater agreement. Of importance to both clinicians and researchers, our findings support using the ACNS system in identifying seizures and classifying backgrounds of neonatal EEG recordings, but also suggest limited reproducibility for certain other EEG features. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 International League Against Epilepsy.

Experimental determination of interfacial tension by different dynamical methods under simple shear flow conditions with a novel computer-controlled parallel band apparatus.

PubMed

Megías-Alguacil, David; Fischer, Peter; Windhab, Erich J

2004-06-15

We present experimental investigations on droplet deformation under simple shear flow conditions, using a computer-controlled parallel band apparatus and an optical device which allows us to record the time dependence of the droplet shape. Several methods are applied to determine the interfacial tension from the observed shape and relaxation mechanism. Specific software developed in our laboratory allows the droplet to be fixed in a certain position for extended times, in fact, indefinite. This is an advantage over most other work done in this area, where only limited time is available. In our experiments, the transient deformation of sheared droplets can be observed to reach the steady state. The measured systems were Newtonian, both droplet and fluid phase. Droplet deformation, orientation angle and retraction were studied and compared to several models. The interfacial tension of the different systems was calculated using the theories of Taylor, Rallison, and Hinch and Acrivos. The results obtained from the analysis of the droplet deformation were in very good agreement with drop detachment experiments of Feigl and co-workers. The study of orientation angle shows qualitative agreement to the theory of Hinch and Acrivos but reveals larger quantitative discrepancies for several empirical fitting parameters of the used model. Analysis of the relaxation of sheared drops provided estimates of the interfacial tension that were in very good agreement with the steady-state measurements.

Electrical method for the measurements of volume averaged electron density and effective coupled power to the plasma bulk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henault, M.; Wattieaux, G.; Lecas, T.; Renouard, J. P.; Boufendi, L.

2016-02-01

Nanoparticles growing or injected in a low pressure cold plasma generated by a radiofrequency capacitively coupled capacitive discharge induce strong modifications in the electrical parameters of both plasma and discharge. In this paper, a non-intrusive method, based on the measurement of the plasma impedance, is used to determine the volume averaged electron density and effective coupled power to the plasma bulk. Good agreements are found when the results are compared to those given by other well-known and established methods.

RCWA and FDTD modeling of light emission from internally structured OLEDs.

PubMed

Callens, Michiel Koen; Marsman, Herman; Penninck, Lieven; Peeters, Patrick; de Groot, Harry; ter Meulen, Jan Matthijs; Neyts, Kristiaan

2014-05-05

We report on the fabrication and simulation of a green OLED with an Internal Light Extraction (ILE) layer. The optical behavior of these devices is simulated using both Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA) and Finite Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) methods. Results obtained using these two different techniques show excellent agreement and predict the experimental results with good precision. By verifying the validity of both simulation methods on the internal light extraction structure we pave the way to optimization of ILE layers using either of these methods.

Terahertz spectroscopic investigation of Chinese herbal medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao-li, Zhao; Jiu-sheng, Li

2011-02-01

The absorption spectra of panax notoginseng and glycyrrhiza in the frequency range of 0.2~1.6THz has been measured with terahertz time-domin spectroscopy at room temperature. Simultaneously, the corresponding theoretical spectra were given by using density functional theory methods. It was found that the absorption peaks of the two molecules obtained by theoretical were in good agreement with the experimental results.

Electronic structure and magnetic ordering in manganese hydride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magnitskaya, M. V.; Kulikov, N. I.

1991-03-01

The self-consistent electron energy bands of antiferromagnetic (AFM) and non-magnetic manganese hydride are calculated using the linear muffintin orbital method (LMTO). The calculated values of equilibrium volume and of magnetic moment on the manganese site are in good agreement with experiment. The Fermi surface of paramagnetic MnH contains two nesting parts, and their superposition gives rise to AFM gap.

Extension of electronic speckle correlation interferometry to large deformations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sciammarella, Cesar A.; Sciammarella, Federico M.

1998-07-01

The process of fringe formation under simultaneous illumination in two orthogonal directions is analyzed. Procedures to extend the applicability of this technique to large deformation and high density of fringes are introduced. The proposed techniques are applied to a number of technical problems. Good agreement is obtained when the experimental results are compared with results obtained by other methods.

Developing a tool for the preparation of GMP audit of pharmaceutical contract manufacturer.

PubMed

Linna, Anu; Korhonen, Mirka; Mannermaa, Jukka-Pekka; Airaksinen, Marja; Juppo, Anne Mari

2008-06-01

Outsourcing is rapidly growing in the pharmaceutical industry. When the manufacturing activities are outsourced, control of the product's quality has to be maintained. One way to confirm contract manufacturer's GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) compliance is auditing. Audits can be supported for instance by using GMP questionnaires. The objective of this study was to develop a tool for the audit preparation of pharmaceutical contract manufacturers and to validate its contents by using Delphi method. At this phase of the study the tool was developed for non-sterile finished product contract manufacturers. A modified Delphi method was used with expert panel consisting of 14 experts from pharmaceutical industry, authorities and university. The content validity of the developed tool was assessed by a Delphi questionnaire round. The response rate in Delphi questionnaire round was 86%. The tool consisted of 103 quality items, from which 90 (87%) achieved the pre-defined agreement rate level (75%). Thirteen quality items which did not achieve the pre-defined agreement rate were excluded from the tool. The expert panel suggested only minor changes to the tool. The results show that the content validity of the developed audit preparation tool was good.

Enhanced Fan Noise Modeling for Turbofan Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krejsa, Eugene A.; Stone, James R.

2014-01-01

This report describes work by consultants to Diversitech Inc. for the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) to revise the fan noise prediction procedure based on fan noise data obtained in the 9- by 15 Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel at GRC. The purpose of this task is to begin development of an enhanced, analytical, more physics-based, fan noise prediction method applicable to commercial turbofan propulsion systems. The method is to be suitable for programming into a computational model for eventual incorporation into NASA's current aircraft system noise prediction computer codes. The scope of this task is in alignment with the mission of the Propulsion 21 research effort conducted by the coalition of NASA, state government, industry, and academia to develop aeropropulsion technologies. A model for fan noise prediction was developed based on measured noise levels for the R4 rotor with several outlet guide vane variations and three fan exhaust areas. The model predicts the complete fan noise spectrum, including broadband noise, tones, and for supersonic tip speeds, combination tones. Both spectra and directivity are predicted. Good agreement with data was achieved for all fan geometries. Comparisons with data from a second fan, the ADP fan, also showed good agreement.

Green's function approach to the Kondo effect in nanosized quantum corrals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Q. L.; Wang, R.; Xie, K. X.; Li, X. X.; Zheng, C.; Cao, R. X.; Miao, B. F.; Sun, L.; Wang, B. G.; Ding, H. F.

2018-04-01

We present a theoretical study of the Kondo effect for a magnetic atom placed inside nanocorrals using Green's function calculations. Based on the standard mapping of the Anderson impurity model to a one-dimensional chain model, we formulate a weak-coupling theory to study the Anderson impurities in a hosting bath with a surface state. With further taking into account the multiple scattering effect of the surrounding atoms, our calculations show that the Kondo resonance width of the atom placed at the center of the nanocorral can be significantly tuned by the corral size, in good agreement with recent experiments [Q. L. Li et al., Phys. Rev. B 97, 035417 (2018), 10.1103/PhysRevB.97.035417]. The method can also be applied to the atom placed at an arbitrary position inside the corral where our calculation shows that the Kondo resonance width also oscillates as the function of its separation from the corral center. The prediction is further confirmed by the low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy studies where a one-to-one correspondence is found. The good agreement with the experiments validates the generality of the method to the system where multiadatoms are involved.

An Euler-Lagrange method considering bubble radial dynamics for modeling sonochemical reactors.

PubMed

Jamshidi, Rashid; Brenner, Gunther

2014-01-01

Unsteady numerical computations are performed to investigate the flow field, wave propagation and the structure of bubbles in sonochemical reactors. The turbulent flow field is simulated using a two-equation Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model. The distribution of the acoustic pressure is solved based on the Helmholtz equation using a finite volume method (FVM). The radial dynamics of a single bubble are considered by applying the Keller-Miksis equation to consider the compressibility of the liquid to the first order of acoustical Mach number. To investigate the structure of bubbles, a one-way coupling Euler-Lagrange approach is used to simulate the bulk medium and the bubbles as the dispersed phase. Drag, gravity, buoyancy, added mass, volume change and first Bjerknes forces are considered and their orders of magnitude are compared. To verify the implemented numerical algorithms, results for one- and two-dimensional simplified test cases are compared with analytical solutions. The results show good agreement with experimental results for the relationship between the acoustic pressure amplitude and the volume fraction of the bubbles. The two-dimensional axi-symmetric results are in good agreement with experimentally observed structure of bubbles close to sonotrode. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A microfluidic paper-based analytical device for the assay of albumin-corrected fructosamine values from whole blood samples.

PubMed

Boonyasit, Yuwadee; Laiwattanapaisal, Wanida

2015-01-01

A method for acquiring albumin-corrected fructosamine values from whole blood using a microfluidic paper-based analytical system that offers substantial improvement over previous methods is proposed. The time required to quantify both serum albumin and fructosamine is shortened to 10 min with detection limits of 0.50 g dl(-1) and 0.58 mM, respectively (S/N = 3). The proposed system also exhibited good within-run and run-to-run reproducibility. The results of the interference study revealed that the acceptable recoveries ranged from 95.1 to 106.2%. The system was compared with currently used large-scale methods (n = 15), and the results demonstrated good agreement among the techniques. The microfluidic paper-based system has the potential to continuously monitor glycemic levels in low resource settings.

Ion probe determinations of the rare earth concentrations of individual meteoritic phosphate grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crozaz, G.; Zinner, E.

1985-01-01

A new ion probe method for quantitative measurements of the concentrations of all the REE down to the ppm level in 5-20 micron spots is presented. The first application of the method is the determination of REE abundances in meteoritic phosphates. Results are shown to be in good agreement with previous INAA and ion probe determinations. The merrillites in the St. Severin amphoterite are richer in REE than the apatites (the enrichment factors, for various REE, range from 2.3 to 14.2) in contradiction with the results of Ebihara and Honda (1983). Provided good standards for other mineral phases are found or implanted marker ion techniques are used, the method should find a wide range of applications for the study of both terrestrial and extraterrestrial crystals at the microscopic level.

Quantifying glenoid bone loss in anterior shoulder instability: reliability and accuracy of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional computed tomography measurement techniques.

PubMed

Bois, Aaron J; Fening, Stephen D; Polster, Josh; Jones, Morgan H; Miniaci, Anthony

2012-11-01

Glenoid support is critical for stability of the glenohumeral joint. An accepted noninvasive method of quantifying glenoid bone loss does not exist. To perform independent evaluations of the reliability and accuracy of standard 2-dimensional (2-D) and 3-dimensional (3-D) computed tomography (CT) measurements of glenoid bone deficiency. Descriptive laboratory study. Two sawbone models were used; one served as a model for 2 anterior glenoid defects and the other for 2 anteroinferior defects. For each scapular model, predefect and defect data were collected for a total of 6 data sets. Each sample underwent 3-D laser scanning followed by CT scanning. Six physicians measured linear indicators of bone loss (defect length and width-to-length ratio) on both 2-D and 3-D CT and quantified bone loss using the glenoid index method on 2-D CT and using the glenoid index, ratio, and Pico methods on 3-D CT. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess agreement, and percentage error was used to compare radiographic and true measurements. With use of 2-D CT, the glenoid index and defect length measurements had the least percentage error (-4.13% and 7.68%, respectively); agreement was very good (ICC, .81) for defect length only. With use of 3-D CT, defect length (0.29%) and the Pico(1) method (4.93%) had the least percentage error. Agreement was very good for all linear indicators of bone loss (range, .85-.90) and for the ratio linear and Pico surface area methods used to quantify bone loss (range, .84-.98). Overall, 3-D CT results demonstrated better agreement and accuracy compared to 2-D CT. None of the methods assessed in this study using 2-D CT was found to be valid, and therefore, 2-D CT is not recommended for these methods. However, the length of glenoid defects can be reliably and accurately measured on 3-D CT. The Pico and ratio techniques are most reliable; however, the Pico(1) method accurately quantifies glenoid bone loss in both the anterior and anteroinferior locations. Future work is required to implement valid imaging techniques of glenoid bone loss into clinical practice. This is one of the only studies to date that has investigated both the reliability and accuracy of multiple indicators and quantification methods that evaluate glenoid bone loss in anterior glenohumeral instability. These data are critical to ensure valid methods are used for preoperative assessment and to determine when a glenoid bone augmentation procedure is indicated.

Steps towards Smarter Solutions in Optometry and Ophthalmology-Inter-Device Agreement of Subjective Methods to Assess the Refractive Errors of the Eye.

PubMed

Ohlendorf, Arne; Leube, Alexander; Wahl, Siegfried

2016-07-13

To investigate the inter-device agreement and mean differences between a newly developed digital phoropter and the two standard methods (trial frame and manual phoropter). Refractive errors of two groups of participants were measured by two examiners (examiner 1 (E1): 36 subjects; examiner 2 (E2): 38 subjects). Refractive errors were assessed using a trial frame, a manual phoropter and a digital phoropter. Inter-device agreement regarding the measurement of refractive errors was analyzed for differences in terms of the power vector components (spherical equivalent (SE) and the cylindrical power vector components J0 and J45) between the used methods. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC's) were calculated to evaluate correlations between the used methods. Analyzing the variances between the three methods for SE, J0 and J45 using a two-way ANOVA showed no significant differences between the methods (SE: p = 0.13, J0: p = 0.58 and J45: p = 0.96) for examiner 1 and for examiner 2 (SE: p = 0.88, J0: p = 0.95 and J45: p = 1). Mean differences and ±95% Limits of Agreement for each pair of inter-device agreement regarding the SE for both examiners were as follows: Trial frame vs. digital phoropter: +0.10 D ± 0.56 D (E1) and +0.19 D ± 0.60 D (E2), manual phoropter vs. trial frame: -0.04 D ± 0.59 D (E1) and -0.12 D ± 0.49 D (E2) and for manual vs. digital phoropter: +0.06 D ± 0.65 D (E1) and +0.08 D ± 0.45 D (E2). ICCs revealed high correlations between all methods for both examiner (p < 0.001). The time to assess the subjective refraction was significantly smaller with the digital phoropter (examiner 1: p < 0.001; examiner 2: p < 0.001). "All used subjective methods show a good agreement between each other terms of ICC (>0.9). Assessing refractive errors using different subjective methods, results in similar mean differences and 95% limits of agreement, when compared to those reported in studies comparing subjective refraction non-cylcoplegic retinoscopy or autorefraction".

Skeletal maturation in individuals with Down's syndrome: Comparison between PGS curve, cervical vertebrae and bones of the hand and wrist

PubMed Central

Carinhena, Glauber; Siqueira, Danilo Furquim; Sannomiya, Eduardo Kazuo

2014-01-01

Introduction This study was conducted with the aim of adapting the methods developed by Martins and Sakima to assess skeletal maturation by cervical vertebrae in the pubertal growth spurt (PGS) curve. It also aimed to test the reliability and agreement between those methods and the method of hand and wrist radiograph when compared two by two and all together. Methods The sample comprised 72 radiographs, with 36 lateral radiographs of the head and 36 hand-wrist radiographs of 36 subjects with Down's syndrome (DS), 13 female and 23 male, aged between 8 years and 6 months and 18 years and 7 months, with an average age of 13 years and 10 months. Results and Conclusions Results revealed that adapting the methods developed by Martins and Sakima to assess skeletal maturation by cervical vertebrae in the curve of PGS is practical and useful in determining the stage of growth and development of individuals. The stages of maturation evaluated by cervical vertebrae and ossification centers observed in radiographs of the hand and wrist were considered reliable, with excellent level of agreement between the methods by Hassel and Farman as well as Baccetti, Franchi and McNamara Jr and Martins and Sakima. Additionally, results revealed an agreement that ranged between reasonable to good for the three methods used to assess the skeletal maturation, showing statistical significance. PMID:25279522

Mini-FLOTAC and Kato-Katz: helminth eggs watching on the shore of Lake Victoria.

PubMed

Barda, Beatrice; Zepherine, Henry; Rinaldi, Laura; Cringoli, Giuseppe; Burioni, Roberto; Clementi, Massimo; Albonico, Marco

2013-07-31

One of the challenges for monitoring helminth control programmes based on preventive chemotherapy is the lack of a copro-parasitological gold-standard method that combines good sensitivity with quantitative performance, low cost, and easy-to-learn technique.The aim of our study was to evaluate and compare, the WHO recommended quantitative diagnostic technique (Kato-Katz) and the Mini-FLOTAC. Mini-FLOTAC is an innovative method based on floatation of helminths eggs with two different solutions (FS2 and FS7) using a close system (Fill-FLOTAC) with 5% fixative. Kato-Katz was performed following WHO recommendation. The study was carried out in a rural part of Tanzania, close to Lake Victoria, where the laboratory facilities are fairly scarce, and the basic technique used in the local laboratory (direct smear) was taken as reference standard. 201 children were screened for intestinal helminths and 91% of them were found to be positive. The agreement among the three techniques was calculated with k Cohen coefficient and was fairly good (k = 0.4), although the Mini-FLOTAC results were more sensitive for hookworm (98%) with FS2, and for S.mansoni (90%) with FS7 followed by Kato-Katz (91% and 60% respectively) and direct smear (30% and 10% respectively). A good agreement was found between Mini-FLOTAC and Kato-Katz (k = 0.81) with FS7 (k = 0.76) for hookworm diagnosis and a fairly good one for S.mansoni diagnosis (k = 0.5). For both infections we had a poor agreement between the two quantitative techniques and the direct smear (k<0.3). Kato-Katz diagnosed a higher number of eggs (calculated by arithmetic mean) both for hookworm (455 vs 424 EPG) and for S.mansoni (71 vs 58 EPG) compared with the Mini-FLOTAC, but the differences were not significant (p = 0.4). Mini-FLOTAC is a promising technique, comparable and as sensitive as the Kato-Katz, which is the recommended method in intestinal helminthology for monitoring helminth control programmes. A comparative advantage of the Mini-FLOTAC is that it comprises of a closed system with preserved samples that both protects the operators and allows subsequent examination of the samples. Further studies are needed to validate the mini-FLOTAC with other quantitative techniques (McMaster) and in different settings where other soil-transmitted helminths are also endemic.

Clinical assessment of external rotation for the diagnosis of anterior shoulder hyperlaxity.

PubMed

Ropars, M; Fournier, A; Campillo, B; Bonan, I; Delamarche, P; Crétual, A; Thomazeau, H

2010-12-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate two methods of clinical assessment for external rotation of the shoulder to optimise the diagnosis of hyperlaxity in patients being selected for surgery for stabilisation of chronic anterior instability. External rotation was evaluated in 70 healthy student volunteers by two examiners (intertester study) using two methods of assessment at 15-day intervals (intratester study). The first method used was the protocol described for the Instability Severity Index Score (ISIS). In this case, the subject was evaluated in the sitting position, bilaterally with passive range of motion movements. The shoulder was considered hyperlax if ER1 was greater than 85°. With the second, so-called "elbow on the table" (EOT) method, the subject was evaluated in the decubitus dorsal position, unilaterally with passive range of motion. The subject was considered to be hyperlax if ER1 was greater than 90°. Kappa values for intra- and intertester agreement with the ISIS method were average, while they were satisfactory with the intraclass coefficient (ICC). Kappa values for inter- and intratester agreement with the EOT method were average and good, respectively. This tendency was confirmed by the ICC which went from good to excellent for the two examiners in both series of measurements using the EOT method, showing better reproducibility with this method. Our study confirms that the most reproducible method for assessing external rotation is obtained by unilateral assessment of the patient in the decubitus dorsal position, with passive range of motion. An ER1 of 90° is the necessary threshold for hyperlaxity because of elbow retropulsion with this method, which provides immediate and visual evaluation and eliminates the necessity of goniometry. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Measurement of central corneal thickness with optical low-coherence reflectometry and ultrasound pachymetry in normal and post-femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis eyes.

PubMed

Huang, Jinhai; Liao, Na; Savini, Giacomo; Li, Yuanguang; Bao, Fangjun; Yu, Ye; Yu, Ayong; Wang, Qinmei

2015-02-01

To determine the repeatability and reproducibility of measurements of central corneal thickness (CCT) using optical low-coherence reflectometry (Lenstar LS900; Haag Streit) in normal eyes and post-femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis (post-FS-LASIK) eyes and evaluate their agreement with ultrasound (US) pachymetry. CCT was measured using Lenstar and US pachymetry sequentially in normal and post-FS-LASIK eyes by 2 experienced observers. Intraoperator repeatability and interoperator reproducibility were assessed by within-subject standard deviation, test-retest repeatability, coefficient of variation (CoV), and intraclass correlation coefficient. Paired t-tests and Bland-Altman plots were used for analyzing agreement between the 2 devices. In this study, 55 healthy subjects and 50 post-FS-LASIK patients were recruited. Test-retest repeatability of Lenstar was within 10 μm, CoV was less than 1.0%, and intraclass correlation coefficient was more than 0.9 in both normal and post-FS-LASIK groups. Mean difference between these methods was 1.4 ± 4.2 μm and -1.7 ± 5.4 μm, respectively. Moreover, measurements of CCT showed narrow 95% limits of agreement (range, normal group: -6.8 and 9.6 μm; post-FS-LASIK group: -12.4 and 8.9 μm), which implied good agreement. Measurements of CCT using Lenstar showed excellent intraoperator repeatability and interoperator reproducibility both in normal eyes and post-FS-LASIK eyes. Measurements of CCT using Lenstar and US pachymetry showed good agreement and both can be used interchangeably.

Validity and reliability of acoustic analysis of respiratory sounds in infants

PubMed Central

Elphick, H; Lancaster, G; Solis, A; Majumdar, A; Gupta, R; Smyth, R

2004-01-01

Objective: To investigate the validity and reliability of computerised acoustic analysis in the detection of abnormal respiratory noises in infants. Methods: Blinded, prospective comparison of acoustic analysis with stethoscope examination. Validity and reliability of acoustic analysis were assessed by calculating the degree of observer agreement using the κ statistic with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: 102 infants under 18 months were recruited. Convergent validity for agreement between stethoscope examination and acoustic analysis was poor for wheeze (κ = 0.07 (95% CI, –0.13 to 0.26)) and rattles (κ = 0.11 (–0.05 to 0.27)) and fair for crackles (κ = 0.36 (0.18 to 0.54)). Both the stethoscope and acoustic analysis distinguished well between sounds (discriminant validity). Agreement between observers for the presence of wheeze was poor for both stethoscope examination and acoustic analysis. Agreement for rattles was moderate for the stethoscope but poor for acoustic analysis. Agreement for crackles was moderate using both techniques. Within-observer reliability for all sounds using acoustic analysis was moderate to good. Conclusions: The stethoscope is unreliable for assessing respiratory sounds in infants. This has important implications for its use as a diagnostic tool for lung disorders in infants, and confirms that it cannot be used as a gold standard. Because of the unreliability of the stethoscope, the validity of acoustic analysis could not be demonstrated, although it could discriminate between sounds well and showed good within-observer reliability. For acoustic analysis, targeted training and the development of computerised pattern recognition systems may improve reliability so that it can be used in clinical practice. PMID:15499065

Concordance between VDU-users' ratings of comfort and perceived exertion with experts' observations of workplace layout and working postures.

PubMed

Lindegård, A; Karlberg, C; Wigaeus Tornqvist, E; Toomingas, A; Hagberg, M

2005-05-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the concordance (agreement) between VDU-users' ratings of comfort and ergonomists' observations of workplace layout, and the concordance between VDU-users' ratings of perceived exertion and ergonomists' observations of working postures during VDU-work. The study population consisted of 853 symptom free subjects. Data on perceived comfort in different dimensions and data regarding perceived exertion in different body locations were collected by means of a questionnaire. Data concerning workplace layout and working postures were collected with an observation protocol, by an ergonomist. Concordance between ratings of comfort and observations of workplace layout was reasonably good for the chair and the keyboard (0.60, 0.58) and good regarding the screen and the input device (0.72, 0.61). Concordance between ratings of perceived exertion and observations of working postures indicated good agreement (0.63-0.77) for all measured body locations (neck, shoulder, wrist and trunk). In conclusion ratings of comfort and perceived exertion could be used as cost-efficient and user-friendly methods for practitioners to identify high exposure to poor workplace layout and poor working postures.

On Blockage Corrections for Two-dimensional Wind Tunnel Tests Using the Wall-pressure Signature Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allmaras, S. R.

1986-01-01

The Wall-Pressure Signature Method for correcting low-speed wind tunnel data to free-air conditions has been revised and improved for two-dimensional tests of bluff bodies. The method uses experimentally measured tunnel wall pressures to approximately reconstruct the flow field about the body with potential sources and sinks. With the use of these sources and sinks, the measured drag and tunnel dynamic pressure are corrected for blockage effects. Good agreement is obtained with simpler methods for cases in which the blockage corrections were about 10% of the nominal drag values.

Numerical solution of the time fractional reaction-diffusion equation with a moving boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Minling; Liu, Fawang; Liu, Qingxia; Burrage, Kevin; Simpson, Matthew J.

2017-06-01

A fractional reaction-diffusion model with a moving boundary is presented in this paper. An efficient numerical method is constructed to solve this moving boundary problem. Our method makes use of a finite difference approximation for the temporal discretization, and spectral approximation for the spatial discretization. The stability and convergence of the method is studied, and the errors of both the semi-discrete and fully-discrete schemes are derived. Numerical examples, motivated by problems from developmental biology, show a good agreement with the theoretical analysis and illustrate the efficiency of our method.

Determination of stability and control parameters of a light airplane from flight data using two estimation methods. [equation error and maximum likelihood methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, V.

1979-01-01

Two identification methods, the equation error method and the output error method, are used to estimate stability and control parameter values from flight data for a low-wing, single-engine, general aviation airplane. The estimated parameters from both methods are in very good agreement primarily because of sufficient accuracy of measured data. The estimated static parameters also agree with the results from steady flights. The effect of power different input forms are demonstrated. Examination of all results available gives the best values of estimated parameters and specifies their accuracies.

Transonic flow analysis for rotors. Part 3: Three-dimensional, quasi-steady, Euler calculation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, I-Chung

1990-01-01

A new method is presented for calculating the quasi-steady transonic flow over a lifting or non-lifting rotor blade in both hover and forward flight by using Euler equations. The approach is to solve Euler equations in a rotor-fixed frame of reference using a finite volume method. A computer program was developed and was then verified by comparison with wind-tunnel data. In all cases considered, good agreement was found with published experimental data.

Monte Carlo renormalization-group study of the Baxter-Wu model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Novotny, M.A.; Landau, D.P.; Swendsen, R.H.

1982-07-01

The effectiveness of a Monte Carlo renormalization-group method is studied by applying it to the Baxter-Wu model (Ising spins on a triangular lattice with three-spin interactions). The calculations yield three relevent eigenvalues in good agreement with exact or conjectured results. We demonstrate that the method is capable of distinguishing between models expected to be in the same universality class, when one of them (four-state Potts) exhibits logarithmic corrections to the usual power-law singularities and the other (Baxter-Wu) does not.

Multi-scale modelling of elastic moduli of trabecular bone

PubMed Central

Hamed, Elham; Jasiuk, Iwona; Yoo, Andrew; Lee, YikHan; Liszka, Tadeusz

2012-01-01

We model trabecular bone as a nanocomposite material with hierarchical structure and predict its elastic properties at different structural scales. The analysis involves a bottom-up multi-scale approach, starting with nanoscale (mineralized collagen fibril) and moving up the scales to sub-microscale (single lamella), microscale (single trabecula) and mesoscale (trabecular bone) levels. Continuum micromechanics methods, composite materials laminate theory and finite-element methods are used in the analysis. Good agreement is found between theoretical and experimental results. PMID:22279160

Approximate convective heating equations for hypersonic flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zoby, E. V.; Moss, J. N.; Sutton, K.

1979-01-01

Laminar and turbulent heating-rate equations appropriate for engineering predictions of the convective heating rates about blunt reentry spacecraft at hypersonic conditions are developed. The approximate methods are applicable to both nonreacting and reacting gas mixtures for either constant or variable-entropy edge conditions. A procedure which accounts for variable-entropy effects and is not based on mass balancing is presented. Results of the approximate heating methods are in good agreement with existing experimental results as well as boundary-layer and viscous-shock-layer solutions.

Nondestructive determination of the depth of planar p-n junctions by scanning electron microscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chi, J.-Y.; Gatos, H. C.

1977-01-01

A method was developed for measuring nondestructively the depth of planar p-n junctions in simple devices as well as in integrated-circuit structures with the electron-beam induced current (EBIC) by scanning parallel to the junction in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results were found to be in good agreement with those obtained by the commonly used destructive method of lapping at an angle to the junction and staining to reveal the junction.

Velocity Curve Analysis of Spectroscopic Binary Stars AI Phe, GM Dra, HD 93917 and V502 Oph by Nonlinear Regression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karami, K.; Mohebi, R.

2007-08-01

We introduce a new method to derive the orbital parameters of spectroscopic binary stars by nonlinear least squares of (o-c). Using the measured radial velocity data of the four double lined spectroscopic binary systems, AI Phe, GM Dra, HD 93917 and V502 Oph, we derived both the orbital and combined spectroscopic elements of these systems. Our numerical results are in good agreement with the those obtained using the method of Lehmann-Filhé.

Elastic electron scattering from the DNA bases cytosine and thymine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Colyer, C. J.; Bellm, S. M.; Lohmann, B.

2011-10-15

Cross-section data for electron scattering from biologically relevant molecules are important for the modeling of energy deposition in living tissue. Relative elastic differential cross sections have been measured for cytosine and thymine using the crossed-beam method. These measurements have been performed for six discrete electron energies between 60 and 500 eV and for detection angles between 15 deg. and 130 deg. Calculations have been performed via the screen-corrected additivity rule method and are in good agreement with the present experiment.

On Chaotic Behavior of Temperature Distribution in a Heat Exchanger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagyalakshmi, Morachan; Gangadharan, Saisundarakrishnan; Ganesh, Madhu

The objective of this paper is to introduce the notion of fractional derivatives in the energy equations and to study the chaotic nature of the temperature distribution in a heat exchanger with variation of temperature dependent transport properties. The governing fractional partial differential equations are transformed to a set of recurrence relations using fractional differential transform method and solved using inverse transform. The approximate analytical solution obtained by the proposed method has good agreement with the existing results.

Computed Tomography Assessment of Hepatic Metastases of Breast Cancer with Revised Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) Criteria (Version 1.1): Inter-Observer Agreement.

PubMed

Ghobrial, Fady Emil Ibrahim; Eldin, Manal Salah; Razek, Ahmed Abdel Khalek Abdel; Atwan, Nadia Ibrahim; Shamaa, Sameh Sayed Ahmed

2017-01-01

To assess inter-observer agreement of revised RECIST criteria (version 1.1) for computed tomography assessment of hepatic metastases of breast cancer. A prospective study was conducted in 28 female patients with breast cancer and with at least one measurable metastatic lesion in the liver that was treated with 3 cycles of anthracycline-based chemotherapy. All patients underwent computed tomography of the abdomen with 64-row multi- detector CT at baseline and after 3 cycles of chemotherapy for response assessment. Image analysis was performed by 2 observers, based on the RECIST criteria (version 1.1). Computed tomography revealed partial response of hepatic metastases in 7 patients (25%) by one observer and in 10 patients (35.7%) by the other observer, with good inter-observer agreement (k=0.75, percent agreement of 89.29%). Stable disease was detected in 19 patients (67.8%) by one observer and in 16 patients (57.1%) by the other observer, with good agreement (k=0.774, percent agreement of 89.29%). Progressive disease was detected in 2 patients (7.2%) by both observers, with perfect agreement (k=1, percent agreement of 100%). The overall inter-observer agreement in the CT-based response assessment of hepatic metastasis between the two observers was good ( k =0.793, percent agreement of 89.29%). We concluded that computed tomography is a reliable and reproducible imaging modality for response assessment of hepatic metastases of breast cancer according to the RECIST criteria (version 1.1).

Measurement of the ankle brachial index with a non-mercury sphygmomanometer in diabetic patients: a concordance study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The removal of mercury sphygmomanometers from health centers requires the validation of other instruments to measure blood pressure in the limbs to calculate the ankle-brachial index (ABI). Methods Descriptive cross-sectional study of agreement between two measurement methods in type 2 diabetes patients from three urban primary healthcare centres in the Barcelonès Nord i Maresme area (Catalonia, Spain). ABI was determined with Doppler and mercury sphygmomanometer and Doppler and the “hybrid” sphygmomanometer OMRON HEM-907 model. Agreement was evaluated using the weighted kappa index. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated using the mercury sphygmomanometer as the gold standard. Results 211 patients were included, from these, 421 limbs were available for study. The mean age of the participants was 67 years (SD = 10), 51.7% were women. The index of agreement between ABI measured with a mercury sphygmomanometer and with the OMRON HEM-907 blood pressure monitor was good (weighted kappa index = 0.68; CI 95%: [0.55–0.79]) and improved when the ABI cut-off value was set at ≤0.70 (weighted kappa index = 0.92; CI 95%: [0.81–1.00]). Sensitivity and specificity were 77.5% and 98.2%, respectively. PPV was 83.8% and NPV was 97.3%. With the ABI cut-off value ≤0.70, sensitivity and specificity increased to 85.7% and 100%, respectively, PPV to 100% and NPV to 99.4%. Conclusion The combination of a Doppler device with the hybrid sphygmomanometer is a simple and reliable method to measure ABI showing that hybrid sphygmomanometer is a good alternative to the use of mercury sphygmomanometers. PMID:23497339

A comparison of volume clamp method-based continuous noninvasive cardiac output (CNCO) measurement versus intermittent pulmonary artery thermodilution in postoperative cardiothoracic surgery patients.

PubMed

Wagner, Julia Y; Körner, Annmarie; Schulte-Uentrop, Leonie; Kubik, Mathias; Reichenspurner, Hermann; Kluge, Stefan; Reuter, Daniel A; Saugel, Bernd

2018-04-01

The CNAP technology (CNSystems Medizintechnik AG, Graz, Austria) allows continuous noninvasive arterial pressure waveform recording based on the volume clamp method and estimation of cardiac output (CO) by pulse contour analysis. We compared CNAP-derived CO measurements (CNCO) with intermittent invasive CO measurements (pulmonary artery catheter; PAC-CO) in postoperative cardiothoracic surgery patients. In 51 intensive care unit patients after cardiothoracic surgery, we measured PAC-CO (criterion standard) and CNCO at three different time points. We conducted two separate comparative analyses: (1) CNCO auto-calibrated to biometric patient data (CNCO bio ) versus PAC-CO and (2) CNCO calibrated to the first simultaneously measured PAC-CO value (CNCO cal ) versus PAC-CO. The agreement between the two methods was statistically assessed by Bland-Altman analysis and the percentage error. In a subgroup of patients, a passive leg raising maneuver was performed for clinical indications and we present the changes in PAC-CO and CNCO in four-quadrant plots (exclusion zone 0.5 L/min) in order to evaluate the trending ability of CNCO. The mean difference between CNCO bio and PAC-CO was +0.5 L/min (standard deviation ± 1.3 L/min; 95% limits of agreement -1.9 to +3.0 L/min). The percentage error was 49%. The concordance rate was 100%. For CNCOcal, the mean difference was -0.3 L/min (±0.5 L/min; -1.2 to +0.7 L/min) with a percentage error of 19%. In this clinical study in cardiothoracic surgery patients, CNCO cal showed good agreement when compared with PAC-CO. For CNCO bio , we observed a higher percentage error and good trending ability (concordance rate 100%).

Analytical performance, agreement and user-friendliness of six point-of-care testing urine analysers for urinary tract infection in general practice.

PubMed

Schot, Marjolein J C; van Delft, Sanne; Kooijman-Buiting, Antoinette M J; de Wit, Niek J; Hopstaken, Rogier M

2015-05-18

Various point-of-care testing (POCT) urine analysers are commercially available for routine urine analysis in general practice. The present study compares analytical performance, agreement and user-friendliness of six different POCT urine analysers for diagnosing urinary tract infection in general practice. All testing procedures were performed at a diagnostic centre for primary care in the Netherlands. Urine samples were collected at four general practices. Analytical performance and agreement of the POCT analysers regarding nitrite, leucocytes and erythrocytes, with the laboratory reference standard, was the primary outcome measure, and analysed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and Cohen's κ coefficient for agreement. Secondary outcome measures were the user-friendliness of the POCT analysers, in addition to other characteristics of the analysers. The following six POCT analysers were evaluated: Uryxxon Relax (Macherey Nagel), Urisys 1100 (Roche), Clinitek Status (Siemens), Aution 11 (Menarini), Aution Micro (Menarini) and Urilyzer (Analyticon). Analytical performance was good for all analysers. Compared with laboratory reference standards, overall agreement was good, but differed per parameter and per analyser. Concerning the nitrite test, the most important test for clinical practice, all but one showed perfect agreement with the laboratory standard. For leucocytes and erythrocytes specificity was high, but sensitivity was considerably lower. Agreement for leucocytes varied between good to very good, and for the erythrocyte test between fair and good. First-time users indicated that the analysers were easy to use. They expected higher productivity and accuracy when using these analysers in daily practice. The overall performance and user-friendliness of all six commercially available POCT urine analysers was sufficient to justify routine use in suspected urinary tract infections in general practice. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Method for in situ carbon deposition measurement for solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhn, J.; Kesler, O.

2014-01-01

Previous methods to measure carbon deposition in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anodes do not permit simultaneous electrochemical measurements. Electrochemical measurements supplemented with carbon deposition quantities create the opportunity to further understand how carbon affects SOFC performance and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). In this work, a method for measuring carbon in situ, named here as the quantification of gasified carbon (QGC), was developed. TGA experiments showed that carbon with a 100 h residence time in the SOFC was >99.8% gasified. Comparison of carbon mass measurements between the TGA and QGC show good agreement. In situ measurements of carbon deposition in SOFCs at varying molar steam/carbon ratios were performed to further validate the QGC method, and suppression of carbon deposition with increasing steam concentration was observed, in agreement with previous studies. The technique can be used to investigate in situ carbon deposition and gasification behavior simultaneously with electrochemical measurements for a variety of fuels and operating conditions, such as determining conditions under which incipient carbon deposition is reversible.

Reliability and reproducibility of several methods of arthroscopic assessment of femoral tunnel position during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

PubMed

Ilahi, Omer A; Mansfield, David J; Urrea, Luis H; Qadeer, Ali A

2014-10-01

To assess interobserver and intraobserver agreement of estimating anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) femoral tunnel positioning arthroscopically using circular and linear (noncircular) estimation methods and to determine whether overlay template visual aids improve agreement. Standardized intraoperative pictures of femoral tunnel pilot holes (taken with a 30° arthroscope through an anterolateral portal at 90° of knee flexion with horizontal being parallel to the tibial surface) in 27 patients undergoing single-bundle ACL reconstruction were presented to 3 fellowship-trained arthroscopists on 2 separate occasions. On both viewings, each surgeon estimated the femoral tunnel pilot hole location to the nearest half-hour mark using a whole clock face and half clock face, to the nearest 15° using a whole compass and half compass, in the top or bottom half of a linear quadrant, and in the top or bottom half of a linear trisector. Evaluations were performed first without and then with an overlay template of each estimation method. The average difference among reviewers was quite similar for all 4 circular methods with the use of visual aids. Without overlay template visual aids, pair-wise κ statistic values for interobserver agreement ranged from -0.14 to 0.56 for the whole clock face and from 0.16 to 0.42 for the half clock face. With overlay visual guides, interobserver agreement ranged from 0.29 to 0.63 for the whole clock face and from 0.17 to 0.66 for the half clock face. The quadrant method's interobserver agreement ranged from 0.22 to 0.60, and that of the trisection method ranged from 0.17 to 0.57. Neither linear estimation method's reliability uniformly improved with the use of overlay templates. Intraobserver agreement without overlay templates ranged from 0.17 to 0.49 for the whole clock face, 0.11 to 0.47 for the half clock face, 0.01 to 0.66 for the quadrant method, and 0.20 to 0.57 for the trisection method. Use of overlay templates did not uniformly improve intraobserver agreement for any estimation method. There does not appear to be any advantage of using a half clock face or compass for estimating femoral tunnel position compared with a whole clock-face analogy. Visual reference aids appear to improve interobserver agreement (reliability) of circular analogies. The linear quadrant appears to be the most reliable method (fair to moderate agreement) for estimating femoral tunnel position without a visual aid for reference, but even better reliability, ranging from fair to good agreement, may be obtained by using the whole clock-face analogy with a visual aid. Increasing femoral tunnel position reliability may improve outcomes of ACL reconstruction surgery. Copyright © 2014 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimized norm-conserving Hartree-Fock pseudopotentials for plane-wave calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Saidi, W. A.; Walter, E. J.; Rappe, A. M.

2008-02-01

We report Hartree-Fock (HF)-based pseudopotentials suitable for plane-wave calculations. Unlike typical effective core potentials, the present pseudopotentials are finite at the origin and exhibit rapid convergence in a plane-wave basis; the optimized pseudopotential method [A. M. Rappe , Phys. Rev. B 41, 1227 (1990)] improves plane-wave convergence. Norm-conserving HF pseudopotentials are found to develop long-range non-Coulombic behavior which does not decay faster than 1/r , and is nonlocal. This behavior, which stems from the nonlocality of the exchange potential, is remedied using a recently developed self-consistent procedure [J. R. Trail and R. J. Needs, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 014112 (2005)]. The resulting pseudopotentials slightly violate the norm conservation of the core charge. We calculated several atomic properties using these pseudopotentials, and the results are in good agreement with all-electron HF values. The dissociation energies, equilibrium bond lengths, and frequencies of vibration of several dimers obtained with these HF pseudopotentials and plane waves are also in good agreement with all-electron results.

Comparison of two questionnaires to assess gastrointestinal toxicity in dogs and cats treated with chemotherapy*.

PubMed

Malone, E K; Rassnick, K M; Bailey, D B; Kiselow, M A; Erb, H N

2011-09-01

Questionnaires completed by pet owners are widely used instruments to monitor adverse gastrointestinal (GI) effects in the owners' animals undergoing chemotherapy and for reporting toxicoses in clinical trials; however, no questionnaires have been formally evaluated. This study compares two questionnaire-based evaluations of adverse GI events: a basic, open-ended questionnaire and a detailed questionnaire modelled after the grading in the Veterinary Co-operative Oncology Group-Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (VCOG-CTCAE). Owners completed both questionnaires after their dog or cat received moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. Results were used to derive toxicity grades for anorexia, vomiting and diarrhoea. We evaluated 123 pairs of questionnaires. Disagreement in grade of anorexia, vomiting and diarrhoea was found in 24, 7 and 13% of paired questionnaires, respectively (κ = 0.63, 0.83 and 0.71, respectively). Although 'good' to 'very good' agreement was found, the potential for only 'fair' agreement between questionnaire methods is of concern and suggests a need to adopt a standardized form. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

An LDA+U study of the photoemission spectra of ground state phase of americium and curium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Islam, Md; Ray, Asok

2009-03-01

We have investigated the photoemission spectra and other ground state properties such as equilibrium volume and bulk modulus of dhcp americium and the density of states and magnetic properties of dhcp curium using LDA+U method. Our calculations show that spin polarized americium is energetically favorable but spin degenerate configuration produces experimental quantities much better than that calculated using spin polarized configuration. The DOS calculated using LDA+U with both non-magnetic and spin polarized configurations is compared and the non-magnetic DOS is shown to be in good agreement with experimental photoemission spectra when U=4.5 eV. In spin polarized case, U is observed to increase the splitting between occupied and unoccupied bands by enhancing Stoner parameter. The results are shown to be in good agreement with that calculated using dynamical mean field theory for these two heavy actinides. For curium, exchange interaction appears to play the dominant role in its magnetic stability.

Concordance Between Current Job and Usual Job in Occupational and Industry Groupings

PubMed Central

Luckhaupt, Sara E.; Cohen, Martha A.; Calvert, Geoffrey M.

2015-01-01

Objective To determine whether current job is a reasonable surrogate for usual job. Methods Data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey were utilized to determine concordance between current and usual jobs for workers employed within the past year. Concordance was quantitated by kappa values for both simple and detailed industry and occupational groups. Good agreement is considered to be present when kappa values exceed 60. Results Overall kappa values ± standard errors were 74.5 ± 0.5 for simple industry, 72.4 ± 0.5 for detailed industry, 76.3 ± 0.4 for simple occupation, 73.7 ± 0.5 for detailed occupation, and 80.4 ± 0.6 for very broad occupational class. Sixty-five of 73 detailed industry groups and 78 of 81 detailed occupation groups evaluated had good agreement between current and usual jobs. Conclusions Current job can often serve as a reliable surrogate for usual job in epidemiologic studies. PMID:23969506

Comparison of 7 culture methods for Salmonella serovar Enteritidis and Salmonella serovar Typhimurium isolation in poultry feces.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Francisco I; Procura, Francisco; Bueno, Dante J

2018-06-26

The present work compared 7 different culture methods and 3 selective-differential plating media for Salmonella ser. Enteritidis (SE) and S. ser. Typhimurium (ST) isolation using artificially contaminated poultry feces. The sensitivity (Se) and accuracy (AC) values increased when Modified Semisolid Rappaport Vassiliadis (MSRV) methods were used in place of the Tetrathionate (TT) or Tetrathionate Hajna broth (TTH) method in the enrichment step. However, there was no significant difference between the pre-enrichment incubation at 4 to 6 and 18 to 24 h for MSRV5 and MSRV24 methods, respectively. All Salmonella strains were recovered in the lowest dilutions tested for MSRV24 and 3 out of 4 for MSRV5 methods (2 to 10 cfu/25 g). The TT and TTH methods showed a detection limit between 2.2 × 101 and 1.0 × 106 cfu/25 g of fecal sample. The agreement was variable between the methods. However, there was a very good agreement between the MSRV5 and MSRV24 methods, and between tetrathionate direct (TTD, no pre-enrichment media used) and buffered peptone water 18 to 24 h Tetrathionate broth combination (TT24 method) for Salmonella strains. The 3 selective-differential plating media showed an agreement between fair and excellent. They performed a high Se and AC in the MSRV methods for Salmonella strains. There was a significant difference between center and periphery for MSRV methods, and there was a fair agreement between them for all strains. The MSRV methods are better than TT/TTH methods for the isolation of different strains of SE and ST in poultry fecal samples. The MSRV5 method can be used to reduce the time for the detection of SE and ST in these samples. Furthermore, a loopful of the periphery of the growth should be streaked onto differential-selective plating media, even in the absence of halo, to decrease the number of false negative results.

Skeletal maturation in individuals with Down's syndrome: comparison between PGS curve, cervical vertebrae and bones of the hand and wrist.

PubMed

Carinhena, Glauber; Siqueira, Danilo Furquim; Sannomiya, Eduardo Kazuo

2014-01-01

This study was conducted with the aim of adapting the methods developed by Martins and Sakima to assess skeletal maturation by cervical vertebrae in the pubertal growth spurt (PGS) curve. It also aimed to test the reliability and agreement between those methods and the method of hand and wrist radiograph when compared two by two and all together.  The sample comprised 72 radiographs, with 36 lateral radiographs of the head and 36 hand-wrist radiographs of 36 subjects with Down's syndrome (DS), 13 female and 23 male, aged between 8 years and 6 months and 18 years and 7 months, with an average age of 13 years and 10 months.  Results revealed that adapting the methods developed by Martins and Sakima to assess skeletal maturation by cervical vertebrae in the PGS curve is practical and useful in determining the stage of growth and development of individuals. The stages of maturation evaluated by cervical vertebrae and ossification centers observed in radiographs of the hand and wrist were considered reliable, with excellent level of agreement between the methods by Hassel and Farman as well as Baccetti, Franchi and McNamara Jr and Martins and Sakima. Additionally, results revealed an agreement that ranged between reasonable to good for the three methods used to assess the skeletal maturation, showing statistical significance.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gajjar, Anant; /Liverpool U.

Measurements of the di-photon cross section have been made in the central region and are found to be in good agreement with NLO QCD predictions. The cross section of events containing a photon and additional heavy flavor jet have also been measured, as well as the ratio of photon + b to photon + c. The statistically limited sample shows good agreement with Leading Order predictions.

Nicotine Metabolite Ratio (3-hydroxycotinine/cotinine) in Plasma and Urine by Different Analytical Methods and Laboratories: Implications for Clinical Implementation

PubMed Central

Tanner, Julie-Anne; Novalen, Maria; Jatlow, Peter; Huestis, Marilyn A.; Murphy, Sharon E.; Kaprio, Jaakko; Kankaanpää, Aino; Galanti, Laurence; Stefan, Cristiana; George, Tony P.; Benowitz, Neal L.; Lerman, Caryn; Tyndale, Rachel F.

2015-01-01

Background The highly genetically variable enzyme CYP2A6 metabolizes nicotine to cotinine (COT) and COT to trans-3′-hydroxycotinine (3HC). The nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR, 3HC/COT) is commonly used as a biomarker of CYP2A6 enzymatic activity, rate of nicotine metabolism, and total nicotine clearance; NMR is associated with numerous smoking phenotypes, including smoking cessation. Our objective was to investigate the impact of different measurement methods, at different sites, on plasma and urinary NMR measures from ad libitum smokers. Methods Plasma (n=35) and urine (n=35) samples were sent to eight different laboratories, which employed similar and different methods of COT and 3HC measurements to derive the NMR. We used Bland-Altman analysis to assess agreement, and Pearson correlations to evaluate associations, between NMR measured by different methods. Results Measures of plasma NMR were in strong agreement between methods according to Bland-Altman analysis (ratios 0.82–1.16) and were highly correlated (all Pearson r>0.96, P<0.0001). Measures of urinary NMR were in relatively weaker agreement (ratios 0.62–1.71) and less strongly correlated (Pearson r values of 0.66–0.98, P<0.0001) between different methods. Plasma and urinary COT and 3HC concentrations, while weaker than NMR, also showed good agreement in plasma, which was better than in urine, as was observed for NMR. Conclusions Plasma is a very reliable biological source for the determination of NMR, robust to differences in these analytical protocols or assessment site. Impact Together this indicates a reduced need for differential interpretation of plasma NMR results based on the approach used, allowing for direct comparison of different studies. PMID:26014804

Calculation of Physicochemical Properties for Short- and Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glüge, Juliane; Bogdal, Christian; Scheringer, Martin; Buser, Andreas M.; Hungerbühler, Konrad

2013-06-01

Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins are potential PBT chemicals (persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic) and short-chain chlorinated paraffins are under review for inclusion in the UNEP Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Despite their high production volume of more than one million metric tonnes per year, only few data on their physicochemical properties are available. We calculated subcooled-liquid vapor pressure, subcooled-liquid solubility in water and octanol, Henry's law constant for water and octanol, as well as the octanol-water partition coefficient with the property calculation methods COSMOtherm, SPARC, and EPI Suite™, and compared the results to experimental data from the literature. For all properties, good or very good agreement between calculated and measured data was obtained for COSMOtherm; results from SPARC were in good agreement with the measured data except for subcooled-liquid water solubility, whereas EPI Suite™ showed the largest discrepancies for all properties. After critical evaluation of the three property calculation methods, a final set of recommended property data for short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins was derived. The calculated property data show interesting relationships with chlorine content and carbon chain length. Increasing chlorine content does not cause pronounced changes in water solubility and octanol-water partition coefficient (KOW) as long as it is below 55%. Increasing carbon chain length leads to strong increases in KOW and corresponding decreases in subcooled-liquid water solubility. The present data set can be used in further studies to assess the environmental fate and human exposure of this relevant compound class.

Quantitative blood flow measurements in gliomas using arterial spin-labeling at 3T: intermodality agreement and inter- and intraobserver reproducibility study.

PubMed

Hirai, T; Kitajima, M; Nakamura, H; Okuda, T; Sasao, A; Shigematsu, Y; Utsunomiya, D; Oda, S; Uetani, H; Morioka, M; Yamashita, Y

2011-12-01

QUASAR is a particular application of the ASL method and facilitates the user-independent quantification of brain perfusion. The purpose of this study was to assess the intermodality agreement of TBF measurements obtained with ASL and DSC MR imaging and the inter- and intraobserver reproducibility of glioma TBF measurements acquired by ASL at 3T. Two observers independently measured TBF in 24 patients with histologically proved glioma. ASL MR imaging with QUASAR and DSC MR imaging were performed on 3T scanners. The observers placed 5 regions of interest in the solid tumor on rCBF maps derived from ASL and DSC MR images and 1 region of interest in the contralateral brain and recorded the measured values. Maximum and average sTBF values were calculated. Intermodality and intra- and interobsever agreement were determined by using 95% Bland-Altman limits of agreement and ICCs. The intermodality agreement for maximum sTBF was good to excellent on DSC and ASL images; ICCs ranged from 0.718 to 0.884. The 95% limits of agreement ranged from 59.2% to 65.4% of the mean. ICCs for intra- and interobserver agreement for maximum sTBF ranged from 0.843 to 0.850 and from 0.626 to 0.665, respectively. The reproducibility of maximum sTBF measurements obtained by methods was similar. In the evaluation of sTBF in gliomas, ASL with QUASAR at 3T yielded measurements and reproducibility similar to those of DSC perfusion MR imaging.

Inter-observer variability between general pathologists and a specialist in breast pathology in the diagnosis of lobular neoplasia, columnar cell lesions, atypical ductal hyperplasia and ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background This study aimed to assess inter-observer variability between the original diagnostic reports and later review by a specialist in breast pathology considering lobular neoplasias (LN), columnar cell lesions (CCL), atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast. Methods A retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 610 breast specimens that had been formally sent for consultation and/or second opinions to the Breast Pathology Laboratory of Federal University of Minas Gerais were analysed between January 2005 and December 2010. The inter-observer variability between the original report and later review was compared regarding the diagnoses of LN, CCL, ADH, and DCIS. Statistical analyses were conducted using the Kappa index. Results Weak correlations were observed for the diagnoses of columnar cell change (CCC; Kappa = 0.38), columnar cell hyperplasia (CCH; Kappa = 0.32), while a moderate agreement (Kappa = 0.47) was observed for the diagnoses of flat epithelial atypia (FEA). Good agreement was observed in the diagnoses of atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH; Kappa = 0.62) and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS; Kappa = 0.66). However, poor agreement was observed for the diagnoses of pleomorphic LCIS (Kappa = 0.22). Moderate agreement was observed for the diagnoses of ADH (Kappa = 0.44), low-grade DCIS (Kappa = 0.47), intermediate-grade DCIS (Kappa = 0.45), and DCIS with microinvasion (Kappa = 0.56). Good agreement was observed between the diagnoses of high-grade DCIS (Kappa = 0.68). Conclusions According to our data, the best diagnostic agreements were observed for high-grade DCIS, ALH, and LCIS. CCL without atypia and pleomorphic LCIS had the worst agreement indices. Virtual Slides The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1640072350119725. PMID:24948027

Simultaneous determination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in dried plasma and urine spots

PubMed Central

Gonzalez, Daniel; Melloni, Chiara; Poindexter, Brenda B; Yogev, Ram; Atz, Andrew M; Sullivan, Janice E; Mendley, Susan R; Delmore, Paula; Delinsky, Amy; Zimmerman, Kanecia; Lewandowski, Andrew; Harper, Barrie; Lewis, Kenneth C; Benjamin, Daniel K; Cohen-Wolkowiez, Michael

2015-01-01

Background: Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) is an antimicrobial drug combination commonly prescribed in children and adults. The study objectives were to validate and apply an HPLC–MS/MS method to quantify TMP-SMX in dried plasma spots (DPS) and dried urine spots (DUS), and perform a comparability analysis with liquid matrices. Results: For TMP the validated range was 100–50,000 ng/ml for DPS and 500–250,000 ng/ml for DUS; for SMX, the validated range was 1000–500,000 ng/ml for both DPS and DUS. Good agreement was noted between DPS/DUS and liquid plasma and urine samples for TMP, while only modest agreement was observed for SMX in both matrices. Conclusion: A precise, accurate and reproducible method was developed to quantify TMP-SMX in DPS and DUS samples. PMID:26039810

Proton affinity of methyl nitrate - Less than proton affinity of nitric acid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Timothy J.; Rice, Julia E.

1992-01-01

Several state-of-the-art ab initio quantum mechanical methods were used to investigate the equilibrium structure, dipole moments, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and IR intensities of methyl nitrate, methanol, and several structures of protonated methyl nitrate, using the same theoretical methods as in an earlier study (Lee and Rice, 1992) of nitric acid. The ab initio results for methyl nitrate and methanol were found to be in good agreement with available experimental data. The proton affinity (PA) of methyl nitrate was calculated to be 176.9 +/-5 kcal/mol, in excellent agreement with the experimental value 176 kcal/mol obtained by Attina et al. (1987) and less than the PA value of nitric acid. An explanation of the discrepancy of the present results with those of an earlier study on protonated nitric acid is proposed.

The fidelity of Kepler eclipsing binary parameters inferred by the neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holanda, N.; da Silva, J. R. P.

2018-04-01

This work aims to test the fidelity and efficiency of obtaining automatic orbital elements of eclipsing binary systems, from light curves using neural network models. We selected a random sample with 78 systems, from over 1400 eclipsing binary detached obtained from the Kepler Eclipsing Binaries Catalog, processed using the neural network approach. The orbital parameters of the sample systems were measured applying the traditional method of light curve adjustment with uncertainties calculated by the bootstrap method, employing the JKTEBOP code. These estimated parameters were compared with those obtained by the neural network approach for the same systems. The results reveal a good agreement between techniques for the sum of the fractional radii and moderate agreement for e cos ω and e sin ω, but orbital inclination is clearly underestimated in neural network tests.

Radiative-emission analysis in charge-exchange collisions of O6 + with argon, water, and methane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leung, Anthony C. K.; Kirchner, Tom

2017-04-01

Processes of electron capture followed by Auger and radiative decay were investigated in slow ion-atom and -molecule collisions. A quantum-mechanical analysis which utilizes the basis generator method within an independent electron model was carried out for collisions of O 6 + with Ar, H2O , and CH4 at impact energies of 1.17 and 2.33 keV/amu. At these impact energies, a closure approximation in the spectral representation of the Hamiltonian for molecules was found to be necessary to yield reliable results. Total single-, double-, and triple-electron-capture cross sections obtained show good agreement with previous measurements and calculations using the classical trajectory Monte Carlo method. The corresponding emission spectra from single capture for each collision system are in satisfactory agreement with previous calculations.

The fidelity of Kepler eclipsing binary parameters inferred by the neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holanda, N.; da Silva, J. R. P.

2018-07-01

This work aims to test the fidelity and efficiency of obtaining automatic orbital elements of eclipsing binary systems, from light curves using neural network models. We selected a random sample with 78 systems, from over 1400 detached eclipsing binaries obtained from the Kepler Eclipsing Binaries Catalog, processed using the neural network approach. The orbital parameters of the sample systems were measured applying the traditional method of light-curve adjustment with uncertainties calculated by the bootstrap method, employing the JKTEBOP code. These estimated parameters were compared with those obtained by the neural network approach for the same systems. The results reveal a good agreement between techniques for the sum of the fractional radii and moderate agreement for e cosω and e sinω, but orbital inclination is clearly underestimated in neural network tests.

Evaluation of the use of a singularity element in finite element analysis of center-cracked plates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mendelson, A.; Gross, B.; Srawley, J., E.

1972-01-01

Two different methods are applied to the analyses of finite width linear elastic plates with central cracks. Both methods give displacements as a primary part of the solution. One method makes use of Fourier transforms. The second method employs a coarse mesh of triangular second-order finite elements in conjunction with a single singularity element subjected to appropriate additional constraints. The displacements obtained by these two methods are in very good agreement. The results suggest considerable potential for the use of a cracked element for related crack problems, particularly in connection with the extension to nonlinear material behavior.

Versatile light-emitting-diode-based spectral response measurement system for photovoltaic device characterization.

PubMed

Hamadani, Behrang H; Roller, John; Dougherty, Brian; Yoon, Howard W

2012-07-01

An absolute differential spectral response measurement system for solar cells is presented. The system couples an array of light emitting diodes with an optical waveguide to provide large area illumination. Two unique yet complementary measurement methods were developed and tested with the same measurement apparatus. Good agreement was observed between the two methods based on testing of a variety of solar cells. The first method is a lock-in technique that can be performed over a broad pulse frequency range. The second method is based on synchronous multifrequency optical excitation and electrical detection. An innovative scheme for providing light bias during each measurement method is discussed.

Wave propagation modeling in composites reinforced by randomly oriented fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudela, Pawel; Radzienski, Maciej; Ostachowicz, Wieslaw

2018-02-01

A new method for prediction of elastic constants in randomly oriented fiber composites is proposed. It is based on mechanics of composites, the rule of mixtures and total mass balance tailored to the spectral element mesh composed of 3D brick elements. Selected elastic properties predicted by the proposed method are compared with values obtained by another theoretical method. The proposed method is applied for simulation of Lamb waves in glass-epoxy composite plate reinforced by randomly oriented fibers. Full wavefield measurements conducted by the scanning laser Doppler vibrometer are in good agreement with simulations performed by using the time domain spectral element method.

Self-sampling is appropriate for detection of Staphylococcus aureus: a validation study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Studies frequently use nasal swabs to determine Staphylococcus aureus carriage. Self-sampling would be extremely useful in an outhospital research situation, but has not been studied in a healthy population. We studied the similarity of self-samples and investigator-samples in nares and pharynxes of healthy study subjects (hospital staff) in the Netherlands. Methods One hundred and five nursing personnel members were sampled 4 times in random order after viewing an instruction paper: 1) nasal self-sample, 2) pharyngeal self-sample, 3) nasal investigator-sample, and 4) pharyngeal investigator-sample. Results For nasal samples, agreement is 93% with a kappa coefficient of 0.85 (95% CI 0.74-0.96), indicating excellent agreement, for pharyngeal samples agreement is 83% and the kappa coefficient is 0.60 (95% CI 0.43-0.76), indicating good agreement. In both sampling sites self-samples even detected more S. aureus than investigator-samples. Conclusions This means that self-samples are appropriate for detection of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. PMID:23137281

Comparative evaluation of RetCam vs. gonioscopy images in congenital glaucoma

PubMed Central

Azad, Raj V; Chandra, Parijat; Chandra, Anuradha; Gupta, Aparna; Gupta, Viney; Sihota, Ramanjit

2014-01-01

Purpose: To compare clarity, exposure and quality of anterior chamber angle visualization in congenital glaucoma patients, using RetCam and indirect gonioscopy images. Design: Cross-sectional study Participants. Congenital glaucoma patients over age of 5 years. Materials and Methods: A prospective consecutive pilot study was done in congenital glaucoma patients who were older than 5 years. Methods used are indirect gonioscopy and RetCam imaging. Clarity of the image, extent of angle visible and details of angle structures seen were graded for both methods, on digitally recorded images, in each eye, by two masked observers. Outcome Measures: Image clarity, interobserver agreement. Results: 40 eyes of 25 congenital glaucoma patients were studied. RetCam image had excellent clarity in 77.5% of patients versus 47.5% by gonioscopy. The extent of angle seen was similar by both methods. Agreement between RetCam and gonioscopy images regarding details of angle structures was 72.50% by observer 1 and 65.00% by observer 2. Conclusions: There was good agreement between RetCam and indirect gonioscopy images in detecting angle structures of congenital glaucoma patients. However, RetCam provided greater clarity, with better quality, and higher magnification images. RetCam can be a useful alternative to gonioscopy in infants and small children without the need for general anesthesia. PMID:24008788

The Tribology of Undulated Surfaces

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-05-30

wear, in effect by decreasing the impact of plowing. Lubrication, hard coatings, fiber-reinforced composites are but a few examples. All these methods ha...In addition, the effects of pad width and cavity volume fraction of the undulated surface were also investigated. A plowing model proposed for...boundary lubricated sliding is in good agreement with experimental results. It is suggested, furthermore, that the undulated surfaces provide an effective

Excited meson spectroscopy with two chirally improved quarks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engel, G.; Lang, C. B.; Mohler, D.; Limmer, M.; Schäfer, A.

The excited isovector meson spectrum is explored using two chirally improved dynamical quarks. Seven ensembles, with pion masses down to \\approx 250 MeV are discussed and used for extrapolations to the physical point. Strange mesons are investigated using partially quenched s-quarks. Using the variational method, we extract excited states in several channels and most of the results are in good agreement with experiment.

Extended fenske-hall calculation of inner-shell binding energies using ( Z + 1)-bazis sets: Sulfur-containing molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zwanziger, Ch.; Zwanziger, H.; Szargan, R.; Reinhold, J.

1981-08-01

It is shown that the S1s and S2p binding energies and their chemical shifts in the molecules H 2S, SO 2, SF 6 and COS obtained with hole-state calculations using an extended Fenske-Hall method are in good agreement with experimental values if mixed ( Z + 1)-basis sets are applied.

Stochastic digital holography for visualizing inside strongly refracting transparent objects.

PubMed

Desse, Jean-Michel; Picart, Pascal

2015-01-01

This paper presents a digital holographic method to visualize and measure refractive index variations, convection currents, or thermal gradients, occurring inside a transparent and refracting object. The proof of principle is provided through the visualization of refractive index variation inside a lighting bulb. Comparison with transmission and reflection holography is also provided. A very good agreement is obtained, thus validating the proposed approach.

On the Efficiency of Particle Injection into the Damping Ring of the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balakin, V. V.; Vorobev, N. S.; Berkaev, D. V.; Glukhov, S. A.; Gornostaev, P. B.; Dorokhov, V. L.; Chao, Ma Xiao; Meshkov, O. I.; Nikiforov, D. A.; Shashkov, E. V.; Emanov, F. A.; Astrelina, K. V.; Blinov, M. F.; Borin, V. M.

2018-03-01

The efficiency of injection from a linear accelerator into the damping ring of the BINP injection complex has been experimentally studied. The estimations of the injection efficiency are in good agreement with the experimental results. Our method of increasing the capture efficiency can enhance the productivity of the injection complex by a factor of 1.5-2.

Direct observation of the protonation of acetone ketyl radical by conductometric pulse radiolysis. [8-MeV electrons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Janata, E.; Schuler, R.H.

1980-12-11

Improvements in conductometric pulse radiolysis methods allow direct observation of the protonation of the acetone ketyl radical anion on the 10-ns time scale. The protonation period of 9.7 +- 0.5 ns determined here is in good agreement with that estimated from the ESR line broadening studies of Laroff and Fessenden, (J. Phys. Chem., 77, 1283(1973)).

A revised HRD for individual components of binary systems from BaSeL BVRI synthetic photometry. Influence of interstellar extinction and stellar rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lastennet, E.; Fernandes, J.; Lejeune, Th.

2002-06-01

Johnson BVRI photometric data for individual components of binary systems have been provided by ten Brummelaar et al. (\\cite{Brummelaar}). This is essential because non-interacting binaries can be considered as two single stars and therefore play a critical role in testing and calibrating single-star stellar evolution sets of isochrones and the implicit theory. While they derived the effective temperature (T_eff) from their estimated spectral type, we infer metallicity-dependent T_eff from a minimizing method fitting the B-V, V-R and V-I colours. For this purpose, a grid of 621 600 flux distributions were computed from the Basel Stellar Library (BaSeL 2.2) of model-atmosphere spectra, and their theoretical colours compared with the observed photometry. The BaSeL colours show a very good agreement with the BVRI metallicity-dependent empirical calibrations of Alonso et al. (\\cite{Alonso}), with the temperatures being different by 3+/-3% in the range 4000-8000 K for dwarf stars. Before deriving the metallicity-dependent T_eff from the BaSeL models, we paid particular attention to the influence of reddening and stellar rotation. We inferred the reddening from two different methods: (i) the MExcessNg code v1.1 (Méndez & van Altena \\cite{Mendez}) and (ii) neutral hydrogen column density data. A comparison of both methods shows a good agreement for the sample located inside a local sphere of ~ 500 pc, but we point out a few directions where the MExcess model overestimates the E(B-V) colour excess. Influence of stellar rotation on the BVRI colours can be neglected except for 5 stars with large v sin i, the maximum effect on temperature being less than 5%. Our final determinations provide effective temperature estimates for each component. They are in good agreement with previous spectroscopic determinations available for a few primary components, and with ten Brummelaar et al. below ~ 10 000 K. Nevertheless, we obtain an increasing disagreement with their temperatures beyond 10 000 K. Finally, we provide a revised Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD) for the systems with the more accurately determined temperatures.

Spectrofluorometric determination of methocarbamol in pharmaceutical preparations and human plasma.

PubMed

Walash, Mohamed; Belal, Fathalla; Eid, Manal; EL Abass, Samah Abo

2011-03-01

A simple, sensitive and rapid spectrofluorometric method for determination of methocarbamol in pharmaceutical formulations and spiked human plasma has been developed. The proposed method is based on the measurement of the native fluorescence of methocarbamol in methanol at 313 nm after excitation at 277 nm. The relative fluorescence intensity-concentration plot was rectilinear over the range of 0.05-2.0 μg/mL, with good correlation (r=0.9999), limit of detection of 0.007 μg/ mL and a lower limit of quantification of 0.022 μg/ mL. The described method was successfully applied for the determination of methocarbamol in its tablets without interference from co-formulated drugs, such as aspirin, diclofenac, paracetamol and ibuprofen, The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained using the official method (USP 30).The high sensitivity of the method allowed the determination of the studied drug in spiked human plasma with average percentage recovery of 99.42 ± 3.84. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010

A novel spectrofluorimetric method for the assay of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical formulations via derivatization with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan.

PubMed

El-Didamony, Akram M; Gouda, Ayman A

2011-01-01

A new highly sensitive and specific spectrofluorimetric method has been developed to determine a sympathomimetic drug pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. The present method was based on derivatization with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan in phosphate buffer at pH 7.8 to produce a highly fluorescent product which was measured at 532 nm (excitation at 475 nm). Under the optimized conditions a linear relationship and good correlation was found between the fluorescence intensity and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride concentration in the range of 0.5-5 µg mL(-1). The proposed method was successfully applied to the assay of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride in commercial pharmaceutical formulations with good accuracy and precision and without interferences from common additives. Statistical comparison of the results with a well-established method showed excellent agreement and proved that there was no significant difference in the accuracy and precision. The stoichiometry of the reaction was determined and the reaction pathway was postulated. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Agreement between arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide and saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen values obtained by direct arterial blood measurements versus noninvasive methods in conscious healthy and ill foals.

PubMed

Wong, David M; Alcott, Cody J; Wang, Chong; Bornkamp, Jennifer L; Young, Jessica L; Sponseller, Brett A

2011-11-15

To determine agreement between indirect measurements of end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PetCO(2)) and saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen as measured by pulse oximetry (SpO(2)) with direct measurements of PaCO(2) and calculated saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen in arterial blood (SaO(2)) in conscious healthy and ill foals. Validation study. 10 healthy and 21 ill neonatal foals. Arterial blood gas analysis was performed on healthy and ill foals examined at a veterinary teaching hospital to determine direct measurements of PaCO(2) and PaO(2) along with SaO(2). Concurrently, PetCO(2) was measured with a capnograph inserted into a naris, and SpO(2) was measured with a reflectance probe placed at the base of the tail. Paired values were compared by use of Pearson correlation coefficients, and level of agreement was assessed with the Bland-Altman method. Mean ± SD difference between PaCO(2) and PetCO(2) was 0.1 ± 5.0 mm Hg. There was significant strong correlation (r = 0.779) and good agreement between PaCO(2) and PetCO(2). Mean ± SD difference between SaO(2) and SpO(2) was 2.5 ± 3.5%. There was significant moderate correlation (r = 0.499) and acceptable agreement between SaO(2) and SpO(2). Both PetCO(2) obtained by use of nasal capnography and SpO(2) obtained with a reflectance probe are clinically applicable and accurate indirect methods of estimating and monitoring PaCO(2) and SaO(2) in neonatal foals. Indirect methods should not replace periodic direct measurement of corresponding parameters.

Assessing symmetry using the mirror stand device with manual and software-assisted methods in postoperative zygomatic fracture patients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syarif, A. N.; Bangun, K.

2017-08-01

Zygomatic fractures are among the most common fractures to the facial skeleton. However, because no standard and reliable method of evaluation is available to assess postoperative patients, we often rely on photographs and subjective assessments. A portable mirror stand device (MiRS), which is a new method for the standardization of photography, was developed in our institution. Used with image analysis software, this device provides a new method for evaluating outcomes after the open reduction and internal fixation of zygomatic fractures. The portable mirror stand device was set up in our outpatient clinic at the Cleft Craniofacial Center at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital. Photographs of 11 postoperative patients were taken using the device, and they were analyzed both manually and using image analysis software (ImageJ 1.46) for symmetry. The two methods were then compared to assess the correlation and agreement of the results. The measurements taken using the manual method and the software-assisted method did not differ significantly, which indicated the good agreement between the two methods. The results of the symmetry achieved atour center were similar to other centers in the Asian region (ΔZy = 3.4±1.5 mm, ΔBc = 2.6±1.6 mm, ΔCh = 2.3±2.4 mm) compared with (ΔZy = 3.2±1.7 mm, ΔBc = 2.6±1.6 mm, ΔCh = 2.3±2.5 mm). The treatment of zygomatic fracture a tour center achieved good results. The portable mirror stand device assisted the image analysis software (ImageJ 1.46), which could be beneficial in assessing symmetry in postoperative zygomatic fracture patients.

Urinalysis: The Automated Versus Manual Techniques; Is It Time To Change?.

PubMed

Ahmed, Asmaa Ismail; Baz, Heba; Lotfy, Sarah

2016-01-01

Urinalysis is the third major test in clinical laboratory. Manual technique imprecision urges the need for a rapid reliable automated test. We evaluated the H800-FUSIOO automatic urine sediment analyzer and compared it to the manual urinalysis technique to determine if it may be a competitive substitute in laboratories of central hospitals. 1000 urine samples were examined by the two methods in parallel. Agreement, precision, carryover, drift, sensitivity, specificity, and practicability criteria were tested. Agreement ranged from excellent to good for all urine semi-quantitative components (K > 0.4, p = 0.000), except for granular casts (K = 0.317, p = 0.000). Specific gravity results correlated well between the two methods (r = 0.884, p = 0.000). RBCS and WBCs showed moderate correlation (r = 0.42, p = 0.000) and (r = 0.44, p = 0.000), respectively. The auto-analyzer's within-run precision was > 75% for all semi-quantitative components except for proteins (50% precision). This finding in addition to the granular casts poor agreement indicate the necessity of operator interference at the critical cutoff values. As regards quantitative contents, RBCs showed a mean of 69.8 +/- 3.95, C.V. = 5.7, WBCs showed a mean of 38.9 +/- 1.9, C.V. = 4.9). Specific gravity, pH, microalbumin, and creatinine also showed good precision results with C.Vs of 0.000, 2.6, 9.1, and 0.00 respectively. In the between run precision, positive control showed good precision (C.V. = 2.9), while negative control's C.V. was strikingly high (C.V. = 127). Carryover and drift studies were satisfactory. Manual examination of inter-observer results showed major discrepancies (< 60% similar readings), while intra-observer's results correlated well with each other (r = 0.99, p = 0.000). Automation of urinalysis decreases observer-associated variation and offers prompt competitive results when standardized for screening away from the borderline cutoffs.

Synthesis and structural study on (1E,2E,1'E,2'E)-3,3'-bis[(4-bromophenyl)-3,3'-(4-methy-1,2-phenylene diimine)] acetaldehyde dioxime: A combined experimental and theoretical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Topal, T.; Kart, H. H.; Tunay Taşlı, P.; Karapınar, E.

2015-06-01

Tetradentate (1E,2E,1'E,2'E)-3,3'-bis[(4-bromophenyl)-3,3'-(4-methy-1,2-phenylene diimine)] acetaldehyde dioxime which possess N4 donor sets derived from the condensation of isonitroso- p-bromoacetophenone and 3,4-diaminotoluene are synthesized and characterized. The characterization of tetradentate Schiff base ligand has been deduced from LC-MS, FTIR, 13C and 1H NMR spectra and elemental analysis. Furthermore, the molecular geometry, infrared and NMR spectra of the title molecule in the ground state have been calculated by using the quantum chemical computational methods such as density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) methods with the 6-31G(d) and 6-311G(d) basis sets. The computed bond lengths and bond angles by using the both methods show the good agreement with each other. Moreover, the vibrational frequencies have been calculated and the scaled values have been compared with the experimental FTIR spectroscopic data. Assignments of the vibrational modes are made on the basis of potential energy distribution (PED) calculated from by using VEDA program. The correlations between the observed and calculated frequencies are in good agreement with each other as well as the correlation of the NMR data.

The letter knowledge assessment tool.

PubMed

Pedro, Cassandra; Lousada, Marisa; Pereira, Rita; Hall, Andreia; Jesus, Luis M T

2017-10-10

There is a need to develop letter knowledge assessment tools to characterise the letter knowledge in Portuguese pre-schoolers and to compare it with pre-schoolers from other countries, but there are no tools for this purpose in Portugal. The aim of this paper is to describe the development and validation procedures of the Prova de Avaliação de Competências de Pré-Literacia (PACPL), which assesses letter knowledge. This study includes data that has been gathered in two phases: pilot and main study. In the pilot study, an expert panel of six speech and language pathologists analysed the instrument. Children (n = 216) aged 5;0-7;11 participated in the main study that reports data related to the psychometric characteristics of the PACPL. Content validity, internal consistency, reliability and contributing factors to performance were examined statistically. A modified Bland-Altman method revealed good agreement amongst evaluators. The main study showed that the PACPL has a very good internal consistency and high inter-rater (96.2% of agreement and a Cohen's k value of 0.92) and intra-rater (95.6% of agreement and a Cohen's k value of 0.91) agreement. Construct validity of the PCAPL was also assured (Cronbach's α of 0.982). Significant differences were found between age groups with children increasing their letter knowledge with age. In addition, they were better at identifying than at producing both letter names and letter sounds. The PACPL is a valid and reliable instrument to assess letter knowledge in Portuguese children.

Euler equation computations for the flow over a hovering helicopter rotor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Thomas Wesley

1988-01-01

A numerical solution technique is developed for computing the flow field around an isolated helicopter rotor in hover. The flow is governed by the compressible Euler equations which are integrated using a finite volume approach. The Euler equations are coupled to a free wake model of the rotary wing vortical wake. This wake model is incorporated into the finite volume solver using a prescribed flow, or perturbation, technique which eliminates the numerical diffusion of vorticity due to the artificial viscosity of the scheme. The work is divided into three major parts: (1) comparisons of Euler solutions to experimental data for the flow around isolated wings show good agreement with the surface pressures, but poor agreement with the vortical wake structure; (2) the perturbation method is developed and used to compute the interaction of a streamwise vortex with a semispan wing. The rapid diffusion of the vortex when only the basic Euler solver is used is illustrated, and excellent agreement with experimental section lift coefficients is demonstrated when using the perturbation approach; and (3) the free wake solution technique is described and the coupling of the wake to the Euler solver for an isolated rotor is presented. Comparisons with experimental blade load data for several cases show good agreement, with discrepancies largely attributable to the neglect of viscous effects. The computed wake geometries agree less well with experiment, the primary difference being that too rapid a wake contraction is predicted for all the cases.

Agreement between patient interview data on prescription medication use and pharmacy records in those aged older than 50 years varied by therapeutic group and reporting of indicated health conditions.

PubMed

Richardson, Kathryn; Kenny, Rose Anne; Peklar, Jure; Bennett, Kathleen

2013-11-01

To estimate the agreement between interview-ascertained medication use and pharmacy records among the population aged older than 50 years, and to identify patient-level predictors of discordance. The Irish Longitudinal study on Ageing is representative of community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and older in Ireland. Interview-ascertained medication data from 2,621 participants were linked to pharmacy dispensing records. The kappa statistics measured the agreement between the two sources for 19 therapeutic classes. Logistic regression assessed the effect of patient-level characteristics on survey under- and overreporting of regularly dispensed medications. Agreement was good or very good (κ=0.64-0.86) for 15 medication classes, and moderate or poor for antiinflammatory and antirheumatic products (κ=0.54), analgesics (κ=0.50), psycholeptics (κ=0.59), and ophthalmologicals (κ=0.37). Not reporting an indicated health condition, less frequent dispensing, older age, and more medications regularly dispensed were associated with survey underreporting, but results varied by therapeutic class. Memory and cognition were not associated with discordance. Ascertaining medication use via patient interview seems a valid method for most medication classes and also captures nonprescription and supplement use. However, medications applied topically and as needed may be underreported. The source of medication data should be carefully considered when performing pharmacoepidemiological studies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Numerical simulation of overflow at vertical weirs using a hybrid level set/VOF method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Xin; Zou, Qingping; Reeve, Dominic

2011-10-01

This paper presents the applications of a newly developed free surface flow model to the practical, while challenging overflow problems for weirs. Since the model takes advantage of the strengths of both the level set and volume of fluid methods and solves the Navier-Stokes equations on an unstructured mesh, it is capable of resolving the time evolution of very complex vortical motions, air entrainment and pressure variations due to violent deformations following overflow of the weir crest. In the present study, two different types of vertical weir, namely broad-crested and sharp-crested, are considered for validation purposes. The calculated overflow parameters such as pressure head distributions, velocity distributions, and water surface profiles are compared against experimental data as well as numerical results available in literature. A very good quantitative agreement has been obtained. The numerical model, thus, offers a good alternative to traditional experimental methods in the study of weir problems.

A multi-modal solution for the transmission of sound in nonuniform ducts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eversman, W.

1976-01-01

The method of weighted residuals in the form of a modified Galerkin method with boundary residuals is developed for the study of the transmission of sound in nonuniform ducts carrying a steady compressible flow. In this formulation the steady flow is modeled as essentially one-dimensional but with a kinematic modification to force tangency of the flow at the duct walls. Good agreement has been obtained with known results for transmission and reflection coefficients in hard walled ducts up to near sonic velocities. In ducts with acoustically compliant boundaries good comparisons have been more difficult to achieve except at low Mach numbers. The problem of transmission in a straight, acoustically treated duct with a uniform flow has been formulated and the Galerkin method used with basis functions derived from the case when flow is absent. Results indicate that favorable comparisons with exact computations can be obtained if care is taken in choosing the basis functions.

The use of earthquake rate changes as a stress meter at Kilauea volcano.

PubMed

Dieterich, J; Cayol, V; Okubo, P

2000-11-23

Stress changes in the Earth's crust are generally estimated from model calculations that use near-surface deformation as an observational constraint. But the widespread correlation of changes of earthquake activity with stress has led to suggestions that stress changes might be calculated from earthquake occurrence rates obtained from seismicity catalogues. Although this possibility has considerable appeal, because seismicity data are routinely collected and have good spatial and temporal resolution, the method has not yet proven successful, owing to the non-linearity of earthquake rate changes with respect to both stress and time. Here, however, we present two methods for inverting earthquake rate data to infer stress changes, using a formulation for the stress- and time-dependence of earthquake rates. Application of these methods at Kilauea volcano, in Hawaii, yields good agreement with independent estimates, indicating that earthquake rates can provide a practical remote-sensing stress meter.

A new method for stable lead isotope extraction from seawater.

PubMed

Zurbrick, Cheryl M; Gallon, Céline; Flegal, A Russell

2013-10-24

A new technique for stable lead (Pb) isotope extraction from seawater is established using Toyopearl AF-Chelate 650M(®) resin (Tosoh Bioscience LLC). This new method is advantageous because it is semi-automated and relatively fast; in addition it introduces a relatively low blank by minimizing the volume of chemicals used in the extraction. Subsequent analyses by HR ICP-MS have a good relative external precision (2σ) of 3.5‰ for (206)Pb/(207)Pb, while analyses by MC-ICP-MS have a better relative external precision of 0.6‰. However, Pb sample concentrations limit MC-ICP-MS analyses to (206)Pb, (207)Pb, and (208)Pb. The method was validated by processing the common Pb isotope reference material NIST SRM-981 and several GEOTRACES intercalibration samples, followed by analyses by HR ICP-MS, all of which showed good agreement with previously reported values. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Education in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement: Kabuki Theatre Meets "Danse Macabre"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, John

2016-01-01

The Good Friday Agreement (1998) between the UK and Irish governments, and most of the political parties in Northern Ireland, heralded a significant step forward in securing peace and stability for this troubled region of the British Isles. From the new-found stability, the previous fits and starts of education reform were replaced by a…

High Performance Computing Multicast

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-01

responsiveness, first-tier applications often implement replicated in- memory key-value stores , using them to store state or to cache data from services...alternative that replicates data , combines agreement on update ordering with amnesia freedom, and supports both good scalability and fast response. A...alternative that replicates data , combines agreement on update ordering with amnesia freedom, and supports both good scalability and fast response

Test-retest reliability and agreement of the SPI-Questionnaire to detect symptoms of digital ischemia in elite volleyball players.

PubMed

van de Pol, Daan; Zacharian, Tigran; Maas, Mario; Kuijer, P Paul F M

2017-06-01

The Shoulder posterior circumflex humeral artery Pathology and digital Ischemia - questionnaire (SPI-Q) has been developed to enable periodic surveillance of elite volleyball players, who are at risk for digital ischemia. Prior to implementation, assessing reliability is mandatory. Therefore, the test-retest reliability and agreement of the SPI-Q were evaluated among the population at risk. A questionnaire survey was performed with a 2-week interval among 65 elite male volleyball players assessing symptoms of cold, pale and blue digits in the dominant hand during or after practice or competition using a 4-point Likert scale (never, sometimes, often and always). Kappa (κ) and percentage of agreement (POA) were calculated for individual symptoms, and to distinguish symptomatic and asymptomatic players. For the individual symptoms, κ ranged from "poor" (0.25) to "good" (0.63), and POA ranged from "moderate" (78%) to "good" (97%). To classify symptomatic players, the SPI-Q showed "good" reliability (κ = 0.83; 95%CI 0.69-0.97) and "good" agreement (POA = 92%). The current study has proven the SPI-Q to be reliable for detecting elite male indoor volleyball players with symptoms of digital ischemia.

Comparison between standard Goldmann applanation prism and disposable applanation prism in tonometry.

PubMed

Goel, S; Chua, C; Dong, B; Butcher, M; Ahfat, F; Hindi, S K; Kotta, S

2004-02-01

Disposable devices are increasingly becoming the preferred choice where possible in contact medical equipment. To evaluate the accuracy of the disposable applanation tonometer head as a potential substitute to the standard Goldmann applanation head. The study was prospective. The intraocular pressure recordings in 80 eyes of 42 patients were compared using the disposable and standard Goldmann applanator heads. The Bland and Altman method of assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement was used in the analysis. The difference in the readings between the two types of tonometer heads was highly variable (mean difference=0.78 mm Hg, range=-1 to 11 mm Hg). This was because of the distortions on the applanating surface of the disposable device. When the readings associated with the defective heads were excluded, very strong agreement was obtained (mean=0.07 mm Hg, range=-1 to 2 mm Hg). Good agreement with standard Goldmann applanation is achieved with the disposable heads except where surface distortions induce significant errors. Careful inspection to ensure well-structured disposable units is imperative in disposable applanation tonometry.

Potential conflict between TRIPS and GATT concerning parallel importation of drugs and possible solution to prevent undesirable market segmentation.

PubMed

Lo, Chang-Fa

2011-01-01

From international perspective, parallel importation, especially with respect to drugs, has to do with the exhaustion principle in Article 6 of the TRIPS Agreement and the general exception in Article XX of the GATT 1994. Issues concerning the TRIPS Agreement have been constant topics of discussion. However, parallel importation in relation to the general rules of the GATT 1994 as well as to its exceptions provided in Article XX was not seriously discussed. In the view of the paper, there is a conflict between the provisions in these two agreements. The paper explains such conflict and tries to propose a method of interpretation to resolve the conflict between GATT Article XX and TRIPS Article 6 concerning parallel importation for the purpose of reducing the possible undesirable market segmentation in pharmaceutical sector. The method suggested in the paper is a proper application of good faith principle in the Vienna Convention to interpret GATT Article XX, so that there could be some flexibility for those prohibitions of parallel importation which have positive effect on international trade.

Illness Mapping: a time and cost effective method to estimate healthcare data needed to establish community-based health insurance

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Most healthcare spending in developing countries is private out-of-pocket. One explanation for low penetration of health insurance is that poorer individuals doubt their ability to enforce insurance contracts. Community-based health insurance schemes (CBHI) are a solution, but launching CBHI requires obtaining accurate local data on morbidity, healthcare utilization and other details to inform package design and pricing. We developed the “Illness Mapping” method (IM) for data collection (faster and cheaper than household surveys). Methods IM is a modification of two non-interactive consensus group methods (Delphi and Nominal Group Technique) to operate as interactive methods. We elicited estimates from “Experts” in the target community on morbidity and healthcare utilization. Interaction between facilitator and experts became essential to bridge literacy constraints and to reach consensus. The study was conducted in Gaya District, Bihar (India) during April-June 2010. The intervention included the IM and a household survey (HHS). IM included 18 women’s and 17 men’s groups. The HHS was conducted in 50 villages with1,000 randomly selected households (6,656 individuals). Results We found good agreement between the two methods on overall prevalence of illness (IM: 25.9% ±3.6; HHS: 31.4%) and on prevalence of acute (IM: 76.9%; HHS: 69.2%) and chronic illnesses (IM: 20.1%; HHS: 16.6%). We also found good agreement on incidence of deliveries (IM: 3.9% ±0.4; HHS: 3.9%), and on hospital deliveries (IM: 61.0%. ± 5.4; HHS: 51.4%). For hospitalizations, we obtained a lower estimate from the IM (1.1%) than from the HHS (2.6%). The IM required less time and less person-power than a household survey, which translate into reduced costs. Conclusions We have shown that our Illness Mapping method can be carried out at lower financial and human cost for sourcing essential local data, at acceptably accurate levels. In view of the good fit of results obtained, we assume that the method could work elsewhere as well. PMID:23043584

Can we perceptually rate alaryngeal voice? Developing the Sunderland Tracheoesophageal Voice Perceptual Scale.

PubMed

Hurren, A; Hildreth, A J; Carding, P N

2009-12-01

To investigate the inter and intra reliability of raters (in relation to both profession and expertise) when judging two alaryngeal voice parameters: 'Overall Grade' and 'Neoglottal Tonicity'. Reliable perceptual assessment is essential for surgical and therapeutic outcome measurement but has been minimally researched to date. Test of inter and intra rater agreement from audio recordings of 55 tracheoesophageal speakers. Cancer Unit. Twelve speech and language therapists and ten Ear, Nose and Throat surgeons. Perceptual voice parameters of 'Overall Grade' rated with a 0-3 equally appearing interval scale and 'Neoglottal Tonicity' with an 11-point bipolar semantic scale. All raters achieved 'good' agreement for 'Overall Grade' with mean weighted kappa coefficients of 0.78 for intra and 0.70 for inter-rater agreement. All raters achieved 'good' intra-rater agreement for 'Neoglottal Tonicity' (0.64) but inter-rater agreement was only 'moderate' (0.40). However, the expert speech and language therapists sub-group attained 'good' inter-rater agreement with this parameter (0.63). The effect of 'Neoglottal Tonicity' on 'Overall Grade' was examined utilising only expert speech and language therapists data. Linear regression analysis resulted in an r-squared coefficient of 0.67. Analysis of the perceptual impression of hypotonicity and hypertonicity in relation to mean 'Overall Grade' score demonstrated neither tone was linked to a more favourable grade (P = 0.42). Expert speech and language therapist raters may be the optimal judges for tracheoesophageal voice assessment. Tonicity appears to be a good predictor of 'Overall Grade'. These scales have clinical applicability to investigate techniques that facilitate optotonic neoglottal voice quality.

Comparison of quantitative Y-90 SPECT and non-time-of-flight PET imaging in post-therapy radioembolization of liver cancer

PubMed Central

Yue, Jianting; Mauxion, Thibault; Reyes, Diane K.; Lodge, Martin A.; Hobbs, Robert F.; Rong, Xing; Dong, Yinfeng; Herman, Joseph M.; Wahl, Richard L.; Geschwind, Jean-François H.; Frey, Eric C.

2016-01-01

Purpose: Radioembolization with yttrium-90 microspheres may be optimized with patient-specific pretherapy treatment planning. Dose verification and validation of treatment planning methods require quantitative imaging of the post-therapy distribution of yttrium-90 (Y-90). Methods for quantitative imaging of Y-90 using both bremsstrahlung SPECT and PET have previously been described. The purpose of this study was to compare the two modalities quantitatively in humans. Methods: Calibration correction factors for both quantitative Y-90 bremsstrahlung SPECT and a non-time-of-flight PET system without compensation for prompt coincidences were developed by imaging three phantoms. The consistency of these calibration correction factors for the different phantoms was evaluated. Post-therapy images from both modalities were obtained from 15 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent hepatic radioembolization using Y-90 glass microspheres. Quantitative SPECT and PET images were rigidly registered and the total liver activities and activity distributions estimated for each modality were compared. The activity distributions were compared using profiles, voxel-by-voxel correlation and Bland–Altman analyses, and activity-volume histograms. Results: The mean ± standard deviation of difference in the total activity in the liver between the two modalities was 0% ± 9% (range −21%–18%). Voxel-by-voxel comparisons showed a good agreement in regions corresponding roughly to treated tumor and treated normal liver; the agreement was poorer in regions with low or no expected activity, where PET appeared to overestimate the activity. The correlation coefficients between intrahepatic voxel pairs for the two modalities ranged from 0.86 to 0.94. Cumulative activity volume histograms were in good agreement. Conclusions: These data indicate that, with appropriate reconstruction methods and measured calibration correction factors, either Y-90 SPECT/CT or Y-90 PET/CT can be used for quantitative post-therapy monitoring of Y-90 activity distribution following hepatic radioembolization. PMID:27782730

Electron collisions with phenol: Total, integral, differential, and momentum transfer cross sections and the role of multichannel coupling effects on the elastic channel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Costa, Romarly F. da; Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, 09210-580 Santo André, São Paulo; Oliveira, Eliane M. de

2015-03-14

We report theoretical and experimental total cross sections for electron scattering by phenol (C{sub 6}H{sub 5}OH). The experimental data were obtained with an apparatus based in Madrid and the calculated cross sections with two different methodologies, the independent atom method with screening corrected additivity rule (IAM-SCAR), and the Schwinger multichannel method with pseudopotentials (SMCPP). The SMCPP method in the N{sub open}-channel coupling scheme, at the static-exchange-plus-polarization approximation, is employed to calculate the scattering amplitudes at impact energies ranging from 5.0 eV to 50 eV. We discuss the multichannel coupling effects in the calculated cross sections, in particular how the numbermore » of excited states included in the open-channel space impacts upon the convergence of the elastic cross sections at higher collision energies. The IAM-SCAR approach was also used to obtain the elastic differential cross sections (DCSs) and for correcting the experimental total cross sections for the so-called forward angle scattering effect. We found a very good agreement between our SMCPP theoretical differential, integral, and momentum transfer cross sections and experimental data for benzene (a molecule differing from phenol by replacing a hydrogen atom in benzene with a hydroxyl group). Although some discrepancies were found for lower energies, the agreement between the SMCPP data and the DCSs obtained with the IAM-SCAR method improves, as expected, as the impact energy increases. We also have a good agreement among the present SMCPP calculated total cross section (which includes elastic, 32 inelastic electronic excitation processes and ionization contributions, the latter estimated with the binary-encounter-Bethe model), the IAM-SCAR total cross section, and the experimental data when the latter is corrected for the forward angle scattering effect [Fuss et al., Phys. Rev. A 88, 042702 (2013)].« less

Single-scatter vector-wave scattering from surfaces with infinite slopes using the Kirchhoff approximation.

PubMed

Bruce, Neil C

2008-08-01

This paper presents a new formulation of the 3D Kirchhoff approximation that allows calculation of the scattering of vector waves from 2D rough surfaces containing structures with infinite slopes. This type of surface has applications, for example, in remote sensing and in testing or imaging of printed circuits. Some preliminary calculations for rectangular-shaped grooves in a plane are presented for the 2D surface method and are compared with the equivalent 1D surface calculations for the Kirchhoff and integral equation methods. Good agreement is found between the methods.

Simple design of slanted grating with simplified modal method.

PubMed

Li, Shubin; Zhou, Changhe; Cao, Hongchao; Wu, Jun

2014-02-15

A simplified modal method (SMM) is presented that offers a clear physical image for subwavelength slanted grating. The diffraction characteristic of the slanted grating under Littrow configuration is revealed by the SMM as an equivalent rectangular grating, which is in good agreement with rigorous coupled-wave analysis. Based on the equivalence, we obtained an effective analytic solution for simplifying the design and optimization of a slanted grating. It offers a new approach for design of the slanted grating, e.g., a 1×2 beam splitter can be easily designed. This method should be helpful for designing various new slanted grating devices.

Dynamic Analysis Method for Electromagnetic Artificial Muscle Actuator under PID Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakata, Yoshihiro; Ishiguro, Hiroshi; Hirata, Katsuhiro

We have been studying an interior permanent magnet linear actuator for an artificial muscle. This actuator mainly consists of a mover and stator. The mover is composed of permanent magnets, magnetic cores and a non-magnetic shaft. The stator is composed of 3-phase coils and a back yoke. In this paper, the dynamic analysis method under PID control is proposed employing the 3-D finite element method (3-D FEM) to compute the dynamic response and current response when the positioning control is active. As a conclusion, computed results show good agreement with measured ones of a prototype.

Note: Measurement of the cathode layer thickness in glow discharges with a Langmuir probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hao; Hou, Xinyu; Zou, Xiaobing; Luo, Haiyun; Wang, Xinxin

2018-06-01

A method using a Langmuir probe to determine the thickness of the cathode layer for a glow discharge is developed. The method is based on the phenomenon that the curve of the voltage-current characteristics changes in shape as the Langmuir probe moves from the positive column into the cathode layer. The method was used to measure the thicknesses of the cathode layer in the normal glow discharges of argon and air with the cathodes made from stainless steel and aluminum. The results are in good agreement with those given in a book of gas discharge.

A new method for the estimation of high temperature radiant heat emittance by means of aero-acoustic levitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greffrath, Fabian; Prieler, Robert; Telle, Rainer

2014-11-01

A new method for the experimental estimation of radiant heat emittance at high temperatures has been developed which involves aero-acoustic levitation of samples, laser heating and contactless temperature measurement. Radiant heat emittance values are determined from the time dependent development of the sample temperature which requires analysis of both the radiant and convective heat transfer towards the surroundings by means of fluid dynamics calculations. First results for the emittance of a corundum sample obtained with this method are presented in this article and found in good agreement with literature values.

Disability after encephalitis: development and validation of a new outcome score

PubMed Central

Begum, Ashia; Ooi, Mong How; Faragher, Brian; Lai, Boon Foo; Sandaradura, Indunil; Mohan, Anand; Mandhan, Gaurav; Meharwade, Pratibha; Subhashini, S; Abhishek, Gulia; Begum, Asma; Penkulinti, Srihari; Shankar, M Veera; Ravikumar, R; Young, Carolyn; Cardosa, Mary Jane; Ravi, V; Wong, See Chang; Kneen, Rachel; Solomon, Tom

2010-01-01

Abstract Objective To develop a simple tool for assessing the severity of disability resulting from Japanese encephalitis and whether, as a result, a child is likely to be dependent. Methods A new outcome score based on a 15-item questionnaire was developed after a literature review, examination of current assessment tools, discussion with experts and a pilot study. The score was used to evaluate 100 children in Malaysia (56 Japanese encephalitis patients, 2 patients with encephalitis of unknown etiology and 42 controls) and 95 in India (36 Japanese encephalitis patients, 41 patients with encephalitis of unknown etiology and 18 controls). Inter- and intra-observer variability in the outcome score was determined and the score was compared with full clinical assessment. Findings There was good inter-observer agreement on using the new score to identify likely dependency (Κ = 0.942 for Malaysian children; Κ = 0.786 for Indian children) and good intra-observer agreement (Κ = 1.000 and 0.902, respectively). In addition, agreement between the new score and clinical assessment was also good (Κ = 0.906 and 0.762, respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of the new score for identifying children likely to be dependent were 100% and 98.4% in Malaysia and 100% and 93.8% in India. Positive and negative predictive values were 84.2% and 100% in Malaysia and 65.6% and 100% in India. Conclusion The new tool for assessing disability in children after Japanese encephalitis was simple to use and scores correlated well with clinical assessment. PMID:20680123

A method for calculating strut and splitter plate noise in exit ducts: Theory and verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fink, M. R.

1978-01-01

Portions of a four-year analytical and experimental investigation relative to noise radiation from engine internal components in turbulent flow are summarized. Spectra measured for such airfoils over a range of chord, thickness ratio, flow velocity, and turbulence level were compared with predictions made by an available rigorous thin-airfoil analytical method. This analysis included the effects of flow compressibility and source noncompactness. Generally good agreement was obtained. This noise calculation method for isolated airfoils in turbulent flow was combined with a method for calculating transmission of sound through a subsonic exit duct and with an empirical far-field directivity shape. These three elements were checked separately and were individually shown to give close agreement with data. This combination provides a method for predicting engine internally generated aft-radiated noise from radial struts and stators, and annular splitter rings. Calculated sound power spectra, directivity, and acoustic pressure spectra were compared with the best available data. These data were for noise caused by a fan exit duct annular splitter ring, larger-chord stator blades, and turbine exit struts.

Filaments from the galaxy distribution and from the velocity field in the local universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Libeskind, Noam I.; Tempel, Elmo; Hoffman, Yehuda; Tully, R. Brent; Courtois, Hélène

2015-10-01

The cosmic web that characterizes the large-scale structure of the Universe can be quantified by a variety of methods. For example, large redshift surveys can be used in combination with point process algorithms to extract long curvilinear filaments in the galaxy distribution. Alternatively, given a full 3D reconstruction of the velocity field, kinematic techniques can be used to decompose the web into voids, sheets, filaments and knots. In this Letter, we look at how two such algorithms - the Bisous model and the velocity shear web - compare with each other in the local Universe (within 100 Mpc), finding good agreement. This is both remarkable and comforting, given that the two methods are radically different in ideology and applied to completely independent and different data sets. Unsurprisingly, the methods are in better agreement when applied to unbiased and complete data sets, like cosmological simulations, than when applied to observational samples. We conclude that more observational data is needed to improve on these methods, but that both methods are most likely properly tracing the underlying distribution of matter in the Universe.

Reliability of the Walker Cranial Nonmetric Method and Implications for Sex Estimation.

PubMed

Lewis, Cheyenne J; Garvin, Heather M

2016-05-01

The cranial trait scoring method presented in Buikstra and Ubelaker (Standards for data collection from human skeletal remains. Fayetteville, AR: Arkansas Archeological Survey Research Series No. 44, 1994) and Walker (Am J Phys Anthropol, 136, 2008 and 39) is the most common nonmetric cranial sex estimation method utilized by physical and forensic anthropologists. As such, the reliability and accuracy of the method is vital to ensure its validity in forensic applications. In this study, inter- and intra-observer error rates for the Walker scoring method were calculated using a sample of U.S. White and Black individuals (n = 135). Cohen's weighted kappas, intraclass correlation coefficients, and percentage agreements indicate good agreement between trials and observers for all traits except the mental eminence. Slight disagreement in scoring, however, was found to impact sex classifications, leading to lower accuracy rates than those published by Walker. Furthermore, experience does appear to impact trait scoring and sex classification. The use of revised population-specific equations that avoid the mental eminence is highly recommended to minimize the potential for misclassifications. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Estimating surface temperature in forced convection nucleate boiling - A simplified method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendricks, R. C.; Papell, S. S.

1977-01-01

A simplified expression to estimate surface temperatures in forced convection boiling was developed using a liquid nitrogen data base. Using the principal of corresponding states and the Kutateladze relation for maximum pool boiling heat flux, the expression was normalized for use with other fluids. The expression was applied also to neon and water. For the neon data base, the agreement was acceptable with the exclusion of one set suspected to be in the transition boiling regime. For the water data base at reduced pressure greater than 0.05 the agreement is generally good. At lower reduced pressures, the water data scatter and the calculated temperature becomes a function of flow rate.

Heterogeneity and frequency of BRAF mutations in primary melanoma: Comparison between molecular methods and immunohistochemistry

PubMed Central

Bruno, William; Martinuzzi, Claudia; Andreotti, Virginia; Pastorino, Lorenza; Spagnolo, Francesco; Dalmasso, Bruna; Cabiddu, Francesco; Gualco, Marina; Ballestrero, Alberto; Bianchi-Scarrà, Giovanna; Queirolo, Paola

2017-01-01

Finding the best technique to identify BRAF mutations with a high sensitivity and specificity is mandatory for accurate patient selection for target therapy. BRAF mutation frequency ranges from 40 to 60% depending on melanoma clinical characteristics and detection technique used. Intertumoral heterogeneity could lead to misinterpretation of BRAF mutational status; this is especially important if testing is performed on primary specimens, when metastatic lesions are unavailable. Aim of this study was to identify the best combination of methods for detecting BRAF mutations (among peptide nucleic acid – PNA-clamping real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry and capillary sequencing) and investigate BRAF mutation heterogeneity in a series of 100 primary melanomas and a subset of 25 matched metastatic samples. Overall, we obtained a BRAF mutation frequency of 62%, based on the combination of at least two techniques. Concordance between mutation status in primary and metastatic tumor was good but not complete (67%), when agreement of at least two techniques were considered. Next generation sequencing was used to quantify the threshold of detected mutant alleles in discordant samples. Combining different methods excludes that the observed heterogeneity is technique-based. We propose an algorithm for BRAF mutation testing based on agreement between immunohistochemistry and PNA; a third molecular method could be added in case of discordance of the results. Testing the primary tumor when the metastatic sample is unavailable is a good option if at least two methods of detection are used, however the presence of intertumoral heterogeneity or the occurrence of additional primaries should be carefully considered. PMID:28039443

Microscale Solubility Measurements of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization (MALDI) Matrices Using Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) Coupled with Partial Least Squares (PLS) Analysis.

PubMed

Gorre, Elsa; Owens, Kevin G

2016-11-01

In this work an attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) absorption based method is used to measure the solubility of two matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization (MALDI) matrices in a few pure solvents and mixtures of acetonitrile and water using low microliter amounts of solution. Results from a method that averages the values obtained from multiple calibration curves created by manual peak picking are compared to those predicted using a partial least squares (PLS) chemometrics approach. The PLS method provided solubility values that were in good agreement with the manual method with significantly greater ease of analysis. As a test, the solubility of adipic acid in acetone was measured using the two methods of analysis, and the values are in good agreement with solubility values reported in literature. The solubilities of the MALDI matrices α-cyano-4-hydroxy cinnamic acid (CHCA) and sinapinic acid (SA) were measured in a series of mixtures made from acetonitrile (ACN) and water; surprisingly, the results show a highly nonlinear trend. While both CHCA and SA show solubility values of less than 10 mg/mL in the pure solvents, the solubility value for SA increases to 56.3 mg/mL in a 75:25 v/v ACN:water mixture. This can have a significant effect on the matrix-to-analyte ratios in the MALDI experiment when sample protocols call for preparation of a saturated solution of the matrix in the chosen solvent system. © The Author(s) 2016.

Development and testing of the cancer multidisciplinary team meeting observational tool (MDT-MOT)

PubMed Central

Harris, Jenny; Taylor, Cath; Sevdalis, Nick; Jalil, Rozh; Green, James S.A.

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective To develop a tool for independent observational assessment of cancer multidisciplinary team meetings (MDMs), and test criterion validity, inter-rater reliability/agreement and describe performance. Design Clinicians and experts in teamwork used a mixed-methods approach to develop and refine the tool. Study 1 observers rated pre-determined optimal/sub-optimal MDM film excerpts and Study 2 observers independently rated video-recordings of 10 MDMs. Setting Study 2 included 10 cancer MDMs in England. Participants Testing was undertaken by 13 health service staff and a clinical and non-clinical observer. Intervention None. Main Outcome Measures Tool development, validity, reliability/agreement and variability in MDT performance. Results Study 1: Observers were able to discriminate between optimal and sub-optimal MDM performance (P ≤ 0.05). Study 2: Inter-rater reliability was good for 3/10 domains. Percentage of absolute agreement was high (≥80%) for 4/10 domains and percentage agreement within 1 point was high for 9/10 domains. Four MDTs performed well (scored 3+ in at least 8/10 domains), 5 MDTs performed well in 6–7 domains and 1 MDT performed well in only 4 domains. Leadership and chairing of the meeting, the organization and administration of the meeting, and clinical decision-making processes all varied significantly between MDMs (P ≤ 0.01). Conclusions MDT-MOT demonstrated good criterion validity. Agreement between clinical and non-clinical observers (within one point on the scale) was high but this was inconsistent with reliability coefficients and warrants further investigation. If further validated MDT-MOT might provide a useful mechanism for the routine assessment of MDMs by the local workforce to drive improvements in MDT performance. PMID:27084499

Development and testing of the cancer multidisciplinary team meeting observational tool (MDT-MOT).

PubMed

Harris, Jenny; Taylor, Cath; Sevdalis, Nick; Jalil, Rozh; Green, James S A

2016-06-01

To develop a tool for independent observational assessment of cancer multidisciplinary team meetings (MDMs), and test criterion validity, inter-rater reliability/agreement and describe performance. Clinicians and experts in teamwork used a mixed-methods approach to develop and refine the tool. Study 1 observers rated pre-determined optimal/sub-optimal MDM film excerpts and Study 2 observers independently rated video-recordings of 10 MDMs. Study 2 included 10 cancer MDMs in England. Testing was undertaken by 13 health service staff and a clinical and non-clinical observer. None. Tool development, validity, reliability/agreement and variability in MDT performance. Study 1: Observers were able to discriminate between optimal and sub-optimal MDM performance (P ≤ 0.05). Study 2: Inter-rater reliability was good for 3/10 domains. Percentage of absolute agreement was high (≥80%) for 4/10 domains and percentage agreement within 1 point was high for 9/10 domains. Four MDTs performed well (scored 3+ in at least 8/10 domains), 5 MDTs performed well in 6-7 domains and 1 MDT performed well in only 4 domains. Leadership and chairing of the meeting, the organization and administration of the meeting, and clinical decision-making processes all varied significantly between MDMs (P ≤ 0.01). MDT-MOT demonstrated good criterion validity. Agreement between clinical and non-clinical observers (within one point on the scale) was high but this was inconsistent with reliability coefficients and warrants further investigation. If further validated MDT-MOT might provide a useful mechanism for the routine assessment of MDMs by the local workforce to drive improvements in MDT performance. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Clinical Rating of Movement-Pattern Quality in Patients With Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome: A Methodological Study.

PubMed

Casartelli, Nicola C; Maffiuletti, Nicola A; Brunner, Romana; Büchi, Marcel; Sutter, Reto; Pfirrmann, Christian W; Naal, Florian D; Leunig, Michael; Bizzini, Mario

2018-04-01

Study Design Cross-sectional study. Objectives To evaluate intrarater and interrater agreement among physical therapists with different clinical experience in performing a visual rating of movement-pattern quality of patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome using a semi-quantitative scale. Background Visual rating of movement patterns in patients with FAI syndrome is of interest, because poor control of dynamic hip motion is frequently noted. Methods A video camera was used to record the performance of 34 patients with FAI syndrome performing single-limb standing, squat, frontal lunge, hop lunge, bridge, and plank. Visual rating of movement, as recorded on video, was performed by a highly experienced, a moderately experienced, and a novice physical therapist on 2 occasions using a semi-quantitative scale. Hip abductor strength was assessed using dynamometry, and hip pain and function were assessed with a patient-reported questionnaire. Intrarater and interrater agreement among physical therapists was evaluated using Gwet's agreement coefficient 1. Construct validity was evaluated as the association between physical therapists' rating and patients' hip abductor strength, pain, and function. Results Good intrarater and interrater agreement was observed in the highly experienced and moderately experienced physical therapists when rating single-limb standing, bridge, and plank. Poor to moderate intrarater and interrater agreement was found when they rated squat, frontal lunge, and hop lunge. Poor performers, as rated by the highly experienced physical therapist only, demonstrated lower hip abductor strength (P<.05), and similar hip pain and hip function compared to those of good performers. Conclusion Movement-pattern quality of patients with FAI syndrome should be rated by a highly experienced physical therapist. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2018;48(4):260-269. doi:10.2519/jospt.2018.7840.

Accuracy of self-reported nevus and pigmentation phenotype compared to clinical assessment in a population-based study of young Australian adults

PubMed Central

Cust, Anne E.; Pickles, Kristen M.; Goumas, Chris; Vu, Thao; Schmid, Helen; Nagore, Eduardo; Kelly, John; Aitken, Joanne F.; Giles, Graham G.; Hopper, John L.; Jenkins, Mark A.; Mann, Graham J.

2015-01-01

Background Awareness of individual risk may encourage improved prevention and early detection of melanoma. Methods We evaluated the accuracy of self-reported pigmentation and nevus phenotype compared to clinical assessment, and examined agreement between nevus counts from selected anatomical regions. The sample included 456 cases with invasive cutaneous melanoma diagnosed between ages 18-39 years and 538 controls from the population-based Australian Melanoma Family Study. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding their pigmentation and nevus phenotype, and attended a dermatologic skin examination. Results There was strong agreement between self-reported and clinical assessment of eye color (kappa, κ, =0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74-0.81); and moderate agreement for hair color (κ =0.46, 95% CI 0.42-0.50). Agreement between self-reported skin color and spectrophotometer-derived measurements was poor (κ =0.12, 95% CI 0.08-0.16) to moderate (Spearman correlation rs=-0.37, 95% CI -0.32- to -0.42). Participants tended to under-estimate their nevus counts and pigmentation; men were more likely to under-report their skin color. The rs was 0.43 (95% CI 0.38-0.49) comparing clinical total body nevus counts with self-reported nevus categories. There was good agreement of quartile distributions of total body nevus counts with site-specific nevus counts, particularly on both arms. Conclusions Young adults have sub-optimal accuracy when assessing important risk characteristics including nevus numbers and pigmentation. Measuring nevus count on the arms is a good predictor of full body nevus count. Impact These results have implications for the likely success of targeted public health programs that rely on self-assessment of these factors. PMID:25628333

Comparison of High-Resolution MR Imaging and Digital Subtraction Angiography for the Characterization and Diagnosis of Intracranial Artery Disease.

PubMed

Lee, N J; Chung, M S; Jung, S C; Kim, H S; Choi, C-G; Kim, S J; Lee, D H; Suh, D C; Kwon, S U; Kang, D-W; Kim, J S

2016-12-01

High-resolution MR imaging has recently been introduced as a promising diagnostic modality in intracranial artery disease. Our aim was to compare high-resolution MR imaging with digital subtraction angiography for the characterization and diagnosis of various intracranial artery diseases. Thirty-seven patients who had undergone both high-resolution MR imaging and DSA for intracranial artery disease were enrolled in our study (August 2011 to April 2014). The time interval between the high-resolution MR imaging and DSA was within 1 month. The degree of stenosis and the minimal luminal diameter were independently measured by 2 observers in both DSA and high-resolution MR imaging, and the results were compared. Two observers independently diagnosed intracranial artery diseases on DSA and high-resolution MR imaging. The time interval between the diagnoses on DSA and high-resolution MR imaging was 2 weeks. Interobserver diagnostic agreement for each technique and intermodality diagnostic agreement for each observer were acquired. High-resolution MR imaging showed moderate-to-excellent agreement (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.892-0.949; κ = 0.548-0.614) and significant correlations (R = 0.766-892) with DSA on the degree of stenosis and minimal luminal diameter. The interobserver diagnostic agreement was good for DSA (κ = 0.643) and excellent for high-resolution MR imaging (κ = 0.818). The intermodality diagnostic agreement was good (κ = 0.704) for observer 1 and moderate (κ = 0.579) for observer 2, respectively. High-resolution MR imaging may be an imaging method comparable with DSA for the characterization and diagnosis of various intracranial artery diseases. © 2016 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

A uniformly valid approximation algorithm for nonlinear ordinary singular perturbation problems with boundary layer solutions.

PubMed

Cengizci, Süleyman; Atay, Mehmet Tarık; Eryılmaz, Aytekin

2016-01-01

This paper is concerned with two-point boundary value problems for singularly perturbed nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The case when the solution only has one boundary layer is examined. An efficient method so called Successive Complementary Expansion Method (SCEM) is used to obtain uniformly valid approximations to this kind of solutions. Four test problems are considered to check the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. The numerical results are found in good agreement with exact and existing solutions in literature. The results confirm that SCEM has a superiority over other existing methods in terms of easy-applicability and effectiveness.

A Method for Calculating Transient Surface Temperatures and Surface Heating Rates for High-Speed Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quinn, Robert D.; Gong, Leslie

2000-01-01

This report describes a method that can calculate transient aerodynamic heating and transient surface temperatures at supersonic and hypersonic speeds. This method can rapidly calculate temperature and heating rate time-histories for complete flight trajectories. Semi-empirical theories are used to calculate laminar and turbulent heat transfer coefficients and a procedure for estimating boundary-layer transition is included. Results from this method are compared with flight data from the X-15 research vehicle, YF-12 airplane, and the Space Shuttle Orbiter. These comparisons show that the calculated values are in good agreement with the measured flight data.

A method of calculation on the airloading of vertical axis wind turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azuma, A.; Kimura, S.

A new method of analyzing the aerodynamic characteristics of the Darrieus Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) by applying the local circulation method is described. The validity of this method is confirmed by analyzing the air load acting on a curved blade. The azimuthwise variation of spanwise airloading, torque, and longitudinal forces are accurately calculated for a variety of operational conditions. The results are found to be in good agreement with experimental ones obtained elsewhere. It is concluded that the present approach can calculate the aerodynamic characteristics of the VAWT with much less computational time than that used by the free vortex model.

Probabilistic Density Function Method for Stochastic ODEs of Power Systems with Uncertain Power Input

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Peng; Barajas-Solano, David A.; Constantinescu, Emil

Wind and solar power generators are commonly described by a system of stochastic ordinary differential equations (SODEs) where random input parameters represent uncertainty in wind and solar energy. The existing methods for SODEs are mostly limited to delta-correlated random parameters (white noise). Here we use the Probability Density Function (PDF) method for deriving a closed-form deterministic partial differential equation (PDE) for the joint probability density function of the SODEs describing a power generator with time-correlated power input. The resulting PDE is solved numerically. A good agreement with Monte Carlo Simulations shows accuracy of the PDF method.

Theoretical investigations, and correlative studies for NLF, HLFC, and LFC swept wings at subsonic, transonic and supersonic speeds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goradia, S. H.; Bobbitt, P. J.; Ferris, J. C.; Harvey, W. D.

1987-01-01

Attention is given to the results of theory/experiment-correlation studies for natural laminar flow, LFC, and hybrid-LFC airfoils at subsonic and supersonic Mach numbers. The method of characteristics, integral compressible boundary layer methods for infinitely swept wings, and a method for prediction of separating turbulent boundary layer characteristics. The integral boundary layer methods are found to be successful at predicting both transonic and supersonic transition phenomena. Computations for wings with 0-50 deg sweep angle, Reynolds number range of 1-30 million, and with and without LFC, are in good agreement with experimental data.

FDTD method for laser absorption in metals for large scale problems.

PubMed

Deng, Chun; Ki, Hyungson

2013-10-21

The FDTD method has been successfully used for many electromagnetic problems, but its application to laser material processing has been limited because even a several-millimeter domain requires a prohibitively large number of grids. In this article, we present a novel FDTD method for simulating large-scale laser beam absorption problems, especially for metals, by enlarging laser wavelength while maintaining the material's reflection characteristics. For validation purposes, the proposed method has been tested with in-house FDTD codes to simulate p-, s-, and circularly polarized 1.06 μm irradiation on Fe and Sn targets, and the simulation results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions.

An Investigation of Interrater Reliability for the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS) in a Nonpatient U.S. Sample.

PubMed

Kivisalu, Trisha M; Lewey, Jennifer H; Shaffer, Thomas W; Canfield, Merle L

2016-01-01

The Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS) aims to provide an evidence-based approach to administration, coding, and interpretation of the Rorschach Inkblot Method (RIM). R-PAS analyzes individualized communications given by respondents to each card to code a wide pool of possible variables. Due to the large number of possible codes that can be assigned to these responses, it is important to consider the concordance rates among different assessors. This study investigated interrater reliability for R-PAS protocols. Data were analyzed from a nonpatient convenience sample of 50 participants who were recruited through networking, local marketing, and advertising efforts from January 2013 through October 2014. Blind recoding was used and discrepancies between the initial and blind coders' ratings were analyzed for each variable with SPSS yielding percent agreement and intraclass correlation values. Data for Location, Space, Contents, Synthesis, Vague, Pairs, Form Quality, Populars, Determinants, and Cognitive and Thematic codes are presented. Rates of agreement for 1,168 responses were higher for more simplistic coding (e.g., Location), whereas agreement was lower for more complex codes (e.g., Cognitive and Thematic codes). Overall, concordance rates achieved good to excellent agreement. Results suggest R-PAS is an effective method with high interrater reliability supporting its empirical basis.

Agreement in electrocardiogram interpretation in patients with septic shock.

PubMed

Mehta, Sangeeta; Granton, John; Lapinsky, Stephen E; Newton, Gary; Bandayrel, Kristofer; Little, Anjuli; Siau, Chuin; Cook, Deborah J; Ayers, Dieter; Singer, Joel; Lee, Terry C; Walley, Keith R; Storms, Michelle; Cooper, Jamie; Holmes, Cheryl L; Hebert, Paul; Gordon, Anthony C; Presneill, Jeff; Russell, James A

2011-09-01

The reliability of electrocardiogram interpretation to diagnose myocardial ischemia in critically ill patients is unclear. In adults with septic shock, we assessed intra- and inter-rater agreement of electrocardiogram interpretation, and the effect of knowledge of troponin values on these interpretations. Prospective substudy of a randomized trial of vasopressin vs. norepinephrine in septic shock. Nine Canadian intensive care units. Adults with septic shock requiring at least 5 μg/min of norepinephrine for 6 hrs. Twelve-lead electrocardiograms were recorded before study drug, and 6 hrs, 2 days, and 4 days after study drug initiation. Two physician readers, blinded to patient data and group, independently interpreted electrocardiograms on three occasions (first two readings were blinded to patient data; third reading was unblinded to troponin). To calibrate and refine definitions, both readers initially reviewed 25 trial electrocardiograms representing normal to abnormal. Cohen's Kappa and the φ statistic were used to analyze intra- and inter-rater agreement. One hundred twenty-one patients (62.2 ± 16.5 yrs, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II 28.6 ± 7.7) had 373 electrocardiograms. Blinded to troponin, readers 1 and 2 interpreted 46.4% and 30.0% of electrocardiograms as normal, and 15.3% and 12.3% as ischemic, respectively. Intrarater agreement was moderate for overall ischemia (κ 0.54 and 0.58), moderate/good for "normal" (κ 0.69 and 0.55), fair to good for specific signs of ischemia (ST elevation, T inversion, and Q waves, reader 1 κ 0.40 to 0.69; reader 2 κ 0.56 to 0.70); and good/very good for atrial arrhythmias (κ 0.84 and 0.79) and bundle branch block (κ 0.88 and 0.79). Inter-rater agreement was fair for ischemia (κ 0.29), moderate for ST elevation (κ 0.48), T inversion (κ 0.52), and Q waves (κ 0.44), good for bundle branch block (κ 0.78), and very good for atrial arrhythmias (κ 0.83). Inter-rater agreement for ischemia improved from fair to moderate (κ 0.52, p = .028) when unblinded to troponin. In patients with septic shock, inter-rater agreement of electrocardiogram interpretation for myocardial ischemia was fair, and improved with troponin knowledge.

Novel Zero-Heat-Flux Deep Body Temperature Measurement in Lower Extremity Vascular and Cardiac Surgery.

PubMed

Mäkinen, Marja-Tellervo; Pesonen, Anne; Jousela, Irma; Päivärinta, Janne; Poikajärvi, Satu; Albäck, Anders; Salminen, Ulla-Stina; Pesonen, Eero

2016-08-01

The aim of this study was to compare deep body temperature obtained using a novel noninvasive continuous zero-heat-flux temperature measurement system with core temperatures obtained using conventional methods. A prospective, observational study. Operating room of a university hospital. The study comprised 15 patients undergoing vascular surgery of the lower extremities and 15 patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Zero-heat-flux thermometry on the forehead and standard core temperature measurements. Body temperature was measured using a new thermometry system (SpotOn; 3M, St. Paul, MN) on the forehead and with conventional methods in the esophagus during vascular surgery (n = 15), and in the nasopharynx and pulmonary artery during cardiac surgery (n = 15). The agreement between SpotOn and the conventional methods was assessed using the Bland-Altman random-effects approach for repeated measures. The mean difference between SpotOn and the esophageal temperature during vascular surgery was+0.08°C (95% limit of agreement -0.25 to+0.40°C). During cardiac surgery, during off CPB, the mean difference between SpotOn and the pulmonary arterial temperature was -0.05°C (95% limits of agreement -0.56 to+0.47°C). Throughout cardiac surgery (on and off CPB), the mean difference between SpotOn and the nasopharyngeal temperature was -0.12°C (95% limits of agreement -0.94 to+0.71°C). Poor agreement between the SpotOn and nasopharyngeal temperatures was detected in hypothermia below approximately 32°C. According to this preliminary study, the deep body temperature measured using the zero-heat-flux system was in good agreement with standard core temperatures during lower extremity vascular and cardiac surgery. However, agreement was questionable during hypothermia below 32°C. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

19 CFR 10.451 - Originating goods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.451 Originating goods. A good imported into the customs territory of the United States...

The Bond Dissociation Energies of 1-Butene

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Langhoff, Stephen R. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

The bond dissociation energies of 1-butene and several calibration systems are computed using the G2(MP2) approach. The agreement between the calibration systems and experiment is very good. The computed values for 1-butene are compared with calibration systems and the agreement between the computed results for 1-butene and the "rule of thumb" values from the smaller systems is remarkably good.

Spatial Heterodyne Imager for Mesospheric Radicals on STPSat-1

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-22

mesospheric OH density profiles. It also measured the Rayleigh scattered background from the clear atmosphere and solar scattering from polar mesospheric... Microwave Limb Sounder OH data shows good agreement between 60 and 90 km altitude for several latitudes and seasons. We also find good agreement of the... background signals observed by SHIMMER and MAHRSI under similar lighting conditions revealed that MAHRSI radiances are systematically smaller than

ATLOG Modeling of Aerial Cable from the November 2016 HERMES Electromagnetic Pulse Experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

campione, salvatore; Warne, Larry K.; Yee, Benjamin Tong

2017-09-01

This report details the comparison of ATLOG modeling results for the response of a finite-length dissipative aerial conductor interacting with a conducting ground to a measurement taken November 2016 at the High-Energy Radiation Megavolt Electron Source (HERMES) facility. We use the ATLOG time-domain method based on transmission line theory. Good agreement is observed between simulations and experiments. Intentionally Left Blank

Prediction of internal and external noise fields for blowdown wind tunnels.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hosier, R. N.; Mayes, W. H.

1972-01-01

Empirical methods have been developed to estimate the test section noise levels and the outside noise radiation patterns of blowdown wind tunnels. Included are considerations of noise generation by control valves, burners, turbulent boundary layers, and exhaust jets as appropriate. Sample test section and radiation field noise estimates are presented. The external estimates are noted to be in good agreement with the limited amount of available measurements.

Measurement of Nanoplasmonic Field Enhancement with Ultrafast Photoemission.

PubMed

Rácz, Péter; Pápa, Zsuzsanna; Márton, István; Budai, Judit; Wróbel, Piotr; Stefaniuk, Tomasz; Prietl, Christine; Krenn, Joachim R; Dombi, Péter

2017-02-08

Probing nanooptical near-fields is a major challenge in plasmonics. Here, we demonstrate an experimental method utilizing ultrafast photoemission from plasmonic nanostructures that is capable of probing the maximum nanoplasmonic field enhancement in any metallic surface environment. Directly measured field enhancement values for various samples are in good agreement with detailed finite-difference time-domain simulations. These results establish ultrafast plasmonic photoelectrons as versatile probes for nanoplasmonic near-fields.

Positron and electron energy bands in several ionic crystals using restricted Hartree-Fock method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunz, A. B.; Waber, J. T.

1981-08-01

Using a restricted Hartree-Fock formalism and suitably localized and symmetrized wave functions, both the positron and electron energy bands were calculated for NaF, MgO and NiO. The lowest positron state at Γ 1 lies above the vacuum level and negative work functions are predicted. Positron annihilation rates were calculated and found to be in good agreement with measured lifetimes.

Engineering of Droplet Manipulation in Tertiary Junction Microfluidic Channels

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-30

DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT A DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED: PB Public Release 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT We have carried out an experimental and...method (LBM). Both the experimental and numerical results showed good agreement and suggested that at higher Re equal to 3, the flow was dominated by...location during grant period. Period of Performance: 06/01/2015 – 11/01/2016 Abstract We have carried out an experimental and in silico

Measurements of the gamma-quanta angular distributions emitted from neutron inelastic scattering on 28Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorov, N. A.; Grozdanov, D. N.; Bystritskiy, V. M.; Kopach, Yu. N.; Ruskov, I. N.; Skoy, V. R.; Tretyakova, T. Yu.; Zamyatin, N. I.; Wang, D.; Aliev, F. A.; Hramco, C.; Gandhi, A.; Kumar, A.; Dabylova, S.; Bogolubov, E. P.; Barmakov, Yu. N.

2018-04-01

The characteristic gamma radiation from the interaction of 14.1 MeV neutrons with a natural silicon sample is investigated with Tagged Neutron Method (TNM). The anisotropy of gamma-ray emission of 1.779 MeV was measured at 11 azimuth angles with a step of ∠15°. The present results are in good agreement with some recent experimental data.

High frequency scattering from a thin lossless dielectric slab. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burgener, K. W.

1979-01-01

A solution for scattering from a thin dielectric slab is developed based on geometrical optics and the geometrical theory of diffraction with the intention of developing a model for a windshield of a small private aircraft for incorporation in an aircraft antenna code. Results of the theory are compared with experimental measurements and moment method calculations showing good agreement. Application of the solution is also addressed.

A discrete dislocation dynamics model of creeping single crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajaguru, M.; Keralavarma, S. M.

2018-04-01

Failure by creep is a design limiting issue for metallic materials used in several high temperature applications. Current theoretical models of creep are phenomenological with little connection to the underlying microscopic mechanisms. In this paper, a bottom-up simulation framework based on the discrete dislocation dynamics method is presented for dislocation creep aided by the diffusion of vacancies, known to be the rate controlling mechanism at high temperature and stress levels. The time evolution of the creep strain and the dislocation microstructure in a periodic unit cell of a nominally infinite single crystal is simulated using the kinetic Monte Carlo method, together with approximate constitutive laws formulated for the rates of thermal activation of dislocations over local pinning obstacles. The deformation of the crystal due to dislocation glide between individual thermal activation events is simulated using a standard dislocation dynamics algorithm, extended to account for constant stress periodic boundary conditions. Steady state creep conditions are obtained in the simulations with the predicted creep rates as a function of stress and temperature in good agreement with experimentally reported values. Arrhenius scaling of the creep rates as a function of temperature and power-law scaling with the applied stress are also reproduced, with the values of the power-law exponents in the high stress regime in good agreement with experiments.

Computation of aerodynamic interference effects on oscillating airfoils with controls in ventilated subsonic wind tunnels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fromme, J. A.; Golberg, M. A.

1979-01-01

Lift interference effects are discussed based on Bland's (1968) integral equation. A mathematical existence theory is utilized for which convergence of the numerical method has been proved for general (square-integrable) downwashes. Airloads are computed using orthogonal airfoil polynomial pairs in conjunction with a collocation method which is numerically equivalent to Galerkin's method and complex least squares. Convergence exhibits exponentially decreasing error with the number n of collocation points for smooth downwashes, whereas errors are proportional to 1/n for discontinuous downwashes. The latter can be reduced to 1/n to the m+1 power with mth-order Richardson extrapolation (by using m = 2, hundredfold error reductions were obtained with only a 13% increase of computer time). Numerical results are presented showing acoustic resonance, as well as the effect of Mach number, ventilation, height-to-chord ratio, and mode shape on wind-tunnel interference. Excellent agreement with experiment is obtained in steady flow, and good agreement is obtained for unsteady flow.

Multi-group Fokker-Planck proton transport in MCNP{trademark}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adams, K.J.

1997-11-01

MCNP has been enhanced to perform proton transport using a multigroup Fokker Planck (MGFP) algorithm with primary emphasis on proton radiography simulations. The new method solves the Fokker Planck approximation to the Boltzmann transport equation for the small angle multiple scattering portion of proton transport. Energy loss is accounted for by applying a group averaged stopping power over each transport step. Large angle scatter and non-inelastic events are treated as extinction. Comparisons with the more rigorous LAHET code show agreement to a few per cent for the total transmitted currents. The angular distributions through copper and low Z compounds showmore » good agreement between LAHET and MGFP with the MGFP method being slightly less forward peaked and without the large angle tails apparent in the LAHET simulation. Suitability of this method for proton radiography simulations is shown for a simple problem of a hole in a copper slab. LAHET and MGFP calculations of position, angle and energy through more complex objects are presented.« less

Illness Mapping: a time and cost effective method to estimate healthcare data needed to establish community-based health insurance.

PubMed

Binnendijk, Erika; Gautham, Meenakshi; Koren, Ruth; Dror, David M

2012-10-09

Most healthcare spending in developing countries is private out-of-pocket. One explanation for low penetration of health insurance is that poorer individuals doubt their ability to enforce insurance contracts. Community-based health insurance schemes (CBHI) are a solution, but launching CBHI requires obtaining accurate local data on morbidity, healthcare utilization and other details to inform package design and pricing. We developed the "Illness Mapping" method (IM) for data collection (faster and cheaper than household surveys). IM is a modification of two non-interactive consensus group methods (Delphi and Nominal Group Technique) to operate as interactive methods. We elicited estimates from "Experts" in the target community on morbidity and healthcare utilization. Interaction between facilitator and experts became essential to bridge literacy constraints and to reach consensus.The study was conducted in Gaya District, Bihar (India) during April-June 2010. The intervention included the IM and a household survey (HHS). IM included 18 women's and 17 men's groups. The HHS was conducted in 50 villages with1,000 randomly selected households (6,656 individuals). We found good agreement between the two methods on overall prevalence of illness (IM: 25.9% ±3.6; HHS: 31.4%) and on prevalence of acute (IM: 76.9%; HHS: 69.2%) and chronic illnesses (IM: 20.1%; HHS: 16.6%). We also found good agreement on incidence of deliveries (IM: 3.9% ±0.4; HHS: 3.9%), and on hospital deliveries (IM: 61.0%. ± 5.4; HHS: 51.4%). For hospitalizations, we obtained a lower estimate from the IM (1.1%) than from the HHS (2.6%). The IM required less time and less person-power than a household survey, which translate into reduced costs. We have shown that our Illness Mapping method can be carried out at lower financial and human cost for sourcing essential local data, at acceptably accurate levels. In view of the good fit of results obtained, we assume that the method could work elsewhere as well.

Domain decomposition and matching for time-domain analysis of motions of ships advancing in head sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Kai; Zhu, Ren-chuan; Miao, Guo-ping; Fan, Ju

2014-08-01

A domain decomposition and matching method in the time-domain is outlined for simulating the motions of ships advancing in waves. The flow field is decomposed into inner and outer domains by an imaginary control surface, and the Rankine source method is applied to the inner domain while the transient Green function method is used in the outer domain. Two initial boundary value problems are matched on the control surface. The corresponding numerical codes are developed, and the added masses, wave exciting forces and ship motions advancing in head sea for Series 60 ship and S175 containership, are presented and verified. A good agreement has been obtained when the numerical results are compared with the experimental data and other references. It shows that the present method is more efficient because of the panel discretization only in the inner domain during the numerical calculation, and good numerical stability is proved to avoid divergence problem regarding ships with flare.

Geometric versus numerical optimal control of a dissipative spin-(1/2) particle

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lapert, M.; Sugny, D.; Zhang, Y.

2010-12-15

We analyze the saturation of a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal using optimal magnetic fields. We consider both the problems of minimizing the duration of the control and its energy for a fixed duration. We solve the optimal control problems by using geometric methods and a purely numerical approach, the grape algorithm, the two methods being based on the application of the Pontryagin maximum principle. A very good agreement is obtained between the two results. The optimal solutions for the energy-minimization problem are finally implemented experimentally with available NMR techniques.

Cross Check of NOvA Oscillation Probabilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parke, Stephen J.; Messier, Mark D.

2018-01-12

In this note we perform a cross check of the programs used by NOvA to calculate the 3-flavor oscillation probabilities with a independent program using a different method. The comparison is performed at 6 significant figures and the agreement,more » $$|\\Delta P|/P$$ is better than $$10^{-5}$$, as good as can be expected with 6 significant figures. In addition, a simple and accurate alternative method to calculate the oscillation probabilities is outlined and compared in the L/E range and matter density relevant for the NOvA experiment.« less

Comparative evaluation of methods for the determination of heat transfer coefficients of liquid and gaseous quenching media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shevchenko, Svetlana Yu.; Melnik, Yury A.; Smirnov, Andrey E.; Htet, Wai Yan Min

2018-03-01

Temperature dependences of heat transfer coefficients of liquid and gaseous quenching media were determined using a gradient probe and prismatic probe of more simple design. The probes of two different designs were tested in the same conditions. Analysis of heat transfer coefficients showed good agreement between the data obtained. The tests were carried out with liquid and gaseous quenching media: water, polymer quenchant, quenching oil and high-pressure nitrogen. Methods of mathematical modeling of steel samples quenching show the adequacy of the results.

Aerodynamic Modeling of Oscillating Wing in Hypersonic Flow: a Numerical Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jian; Hou, Ying-Yu; Ji, Chen; Liu, Zi-Qiang

2016-06-01

Various approximations to unsteady aerodynamics are examined for the unsteady aerodynamic force of a pitching thin double wedge airfoil in hypersonic flow. Results of piston theory, Van Dyke’s second-order theory, Newtonian impact theory, and CFD method are compared in the same motion and Mach number effects. The results indicate that, for this thin double wedge airfoil, Newtonian impact theory is not suitable for these Mach number, while piston theory and Van Dyke’s second-order theory are in good agreement with CFD method for Ma<7.

Reflectance of a vegetation canopy using the Adding method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, K.; Smith, J. A.; Pitts, D.

1982-01-01

A modified vegetation reflectance model based on the Adding method is presented as a means to measure the interaction of shortwave radiation within a vegetation canopy. The canopy is conceptualized with reflecting and transmitting leaf facets, with the leaf orientations described by a leaf slope distribution, thereby yielding scattering matrices for canopy layers. The model predictions, when compared with ground-truth measurements, show good agreement except at visible wavelengths, where overestimations are observed. Conditions under which the model satisfies the reciprocity theorem are defined. Extension of the model by including azimuth is indicated.

Application of a new non-linear least squares velocity curve analysis technique for spectroscopic binary stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karami, K.; Mohebi, R.; Soltanzadeh, M. M.

2008-11-01

Using measured radial velocity data of nine double lined spectroscopic binary systems NSV 223, AB And, V2082 Cyg, HS Her, V918 Her, BV Dra, BW Dra, V2357 Oph, and YZ Cas, we find corresponding orbital and spectroscopic elements via the method introduced by Karami and Mohebi (Chin. J. Astron. Astrophys. 7:558, 2007a) and Karami and Teimoorinia (Astrophys. Space Sci. 311:435, 2007). Our numerical results are in good agreement with those obtained by others using more traditional methods.

A local-circulation model for Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masse, B.

1986-04-01

A new computational model for the aerodynamics of the vertical-axis wind turbine is presented. Based on the local-circulation method generalized for curved blades, combined with a wake model for the vertical-axis wind turbine, it differs markedly from current models based on variations in the streamtube momentum and vortex models using the lifting-line theory. A computer code has been developed to calculate the loads and performance of the Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbine. The results show good agreement with experimental data and compare well with other methods.

An analysis method for two-dimensional transonic viscous flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bavitz, P. C.

1975-01-01

A method for the approximate calculation of transonic flow over airfoils, including shock waves and viscous effects, is described. Numerical solutions are obtained by use of a computer program which is discussed in the appendix. The importance of including the boundary layer in the analysis is clearly demonstrated, as well as the need to improve on existing procedures near the trailing edge. Comparisons between calculations and experimental data are presented for both conventional and supercritical airfoils, emphasis being on the surface pressure distribution, and good agreement is indicated.

Calculation of NMR chemical shifts. 7. Gauge-invariant INDO method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukui, H.; Miura, K.; Hirai, A.

A gauge-invariant INDO method based on the coupled Hartree-Fuck perturbation theory is presented and applied to the calculation of 1H and 13C chemical shifts of hydrocarbons including ring compounds. Invariance of the diamagnetic and paramagnetic shieldings with respect to displacement of the coordinate origin is discussed. Comparison between calculated and experimental results exhibits fairly good agreement, provided that the INDO parameters of Ellis et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc.94, 4069 (1972)) are used with the inclusion of all multicenter one-electron integrals.

Nondestructive distributed measurement of supercontinuum generation along highly nonlinear optical fibers.

PubMed

Hontinfinde, Régis; Coulibaly, Saliya; Megret, Patrice; Taki, Majid; Wuilpart, Marc

2017-05-01

Supercontinuum generation (SCG) in optical fibers arises from the spectral broadening of an intense light, which results from the interplay of both linear and nonlinear optical effects. In this Letter, a nondestructive optical time domain reflectometry method is proposed for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, to measure the spatial (longitudinal) evolution of the SC induced along an optical fiber. The method was experimentally tested on highly nonlinear fibers. The experimental results are in a good agreement with the optical spectra measured at the fiber outputs.

Flow and Heat Transfer Analysis of an Eyring-Powell Fluid in a Pipe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, N.; Nazeer, F.; Nazeer, Mubbashar

2018-02-01

The steady non-isothermal flow of an Eyring-Powell fluid in a pipe is investigated using both perturbation and numerical methods. The results are presented for two viscosity models, namely the Reynolds model and the Vogel model. The shooting method is employed to compute the numerical solution. Criteria for validity of perturbation solution are developed. When these criteria are met, it is shown that the perturbation solution is in good agreement with the numerical solution. The influence of various emerging parameters on the velocity and temperature field is also shown.

Numerical prediction of wall temperatures for near-critical para-hydrogen in turbulent upflow inside vertical tubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bellmore, C. P.; Reid, R. L.

1980-01-01

Presented herein is a method of including density fluctuations in the equations of turbulent transport. Results of a numerical analysis indicate that the method may be used to predict heat transfer for the case of near-critical para-hydrogen in turbulent upflow inside vertical tubes. Wall temperatures, heat transfer coefficients, and velocities obtained by coupling the equations of turbulent momentum and heat transfer with a perturbed equation of state show good agreement with experiment for inlet reduced pressures of 1.28-5.83.

Open-field test site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gyoda, Koichi; Shinozuka, Takashi

1995-06-01

An open-field test site with measurement equipment, a turn table, antenna positioners, and measurement auxiliary equipment was remodelled at the CRL north-site. This paper introduces the configuration, specifications and characteristics of this new open-field test site. Measured 3-m and 10-m site attenuations are in good agreement with theoretical values, and this means that this site is suitable for using 3-m and 10-m method EMI/EMC measurements. The site is expected to be effective for antenna measurement, antenna calibration, and studies on EMI/EMC measurement methods.

The fatigue behavior of composite laminates under various mean stresses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rotem, A.

1991-01-01

A method is developed for predicting the S-N curve of a composite laminate which is subjected to an arbitrary stress ratio, R (minimum stress/maximum stress). The method is based on the measuring of the S-N behavior of two distinct cases, tension-tension and compression-compression fatigue loadings. Using these parameters, expressions are formulated that estimate the fatigue behavior under any stress ratio loading. Experimental results from the testing of graphite/epoxy laminates, with various structures, are compared with the predictions and show good agreement.

Floating Node Method and Virtual Crack Closure Technique for Modeling Matrix Cracking-Delamination Interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeCarvalho, N. V.; Chen, B. Y.; Pinho, S. T.; Baiz, P. M.; Ratcliffe, J. G.; Tay, T. E.

2013-01-01

A novel approach is proposed for high-fidelity modeling of progressive damage and failure in composite materials that combines the Floating Node Method (FNM) and the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) to represent multiple interacting failure mechanisms in a mesh-independent fashion. In this study, the approach is applied to the modeling of delamination migration in cross-ply tape laminates. Delamination, matrix cracking, and migration are all modeled using fracture mechanics based failure and migration criteria. The methodology proposed shows very good qualitative and quantitative agreement with experiments.

Floating Node Method and Virtual Crack Closure Technique for Modeling Matrix Cracking-Delamination Migration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeCarvalho, Nelson V.; Chen, B. Y.; Pinho, Silvestre T.; Baiz, P. M.; Ratcliffe, James G.; Tay, T. E.

2013-01-01

A novel approach is proposed for high-fidelity modeling of progressive damage and failure in composite materials that combines the Floating Node Method (FNM) and the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) to represent multiple interacting failure mechanisms in a mesh-independent fashion. In this study, the approach is applied to the modeling of delamination migration in cross-ply tape laminates. Delamination, matrix cracking, and migration are all modeled using fracture mechanics based failure and migration criteria. The methodology proposed shows very good qualitative and quantitative agreement with experiments.

Imaging of pediatric great vessel stents: Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging?

PubMed Central

van Hamersvelt, R. W.; Budde, R. P. J.; de Jong, P. A.; Schilham, A. M. R.; Bos, C.; Breur, J. M. P. J.; Leiner, T.

2017-01-01

Background Complications might occur after great vessel stent implantation in children. Therefore follow-up using imaging is warranted. Purpose To determine the optimal imaging modality for the assessment of stents used to treat great vessel obstructions in children. Material and methods Five different large vessel stents were evaluated in an in-vitro setting. All stents were expanded to the maximal vendor recommended diameter (20mm; n = 4 or 10mm; n = 1), placed in an anthropomorphic chest phantom and imaged with a 256-slice CT-scanner. MRI images were acquired at 1.5T using a multi-slice T2-weighted turbo spin echo, an RF-spoiled three-dimensional T1-weighted Fast Field Echo and a balanced turbo field echo 3D sequence. Two blinded observers assessed stent lumen visibility (measured diameter/true diameter *100%) in the center and at the outlets of the stent. Reproducibility of diameter measurements was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient for reliability and 95% limits of agreement for agreement analysis. Results Median stent lumen visibility was 88 (IQR 86–90)% with CT for all stents at both the center and outlets. With MRI, the T2-weighted turbo spin echo sequence was preferred which resulted in 82 (78–84%) stent lumen visibility. Interobserver reliability and agreement was good for both CT (ICC 0.997, mean difference -0.51 [-1.07–0.05] mm) and MRI measurements (ICC 0.951, mean difference -0.05 [-2.52 –-2.41] mm). Conclusion Good in-stent lumen visibility was achievable in this in-vitro study with both CT and MRI in different great vessel stents. Overall reliability was good with clinical acceptable limits of agreement for both CT and MRI. However, common conditions such as in-stent stenosis and associated aneurysms were not tested in this in-vitro study, limiting the value of the in-vitro study. PMID:28141852

Calculations of Electron Inelastic Mean Free Paths. XI. Data for Liquid Water for Energies from 50 eV to 30 keV

PubMed Central

Shinotsuka, H.; Da, B.; Tanuma, S.; Yoshikawa, H.; Powell, C. J.; Penn, D. R.

2017-01-01

We calculated electron inelastic mean free paths (IMFPs) for liquid water from its optical energy-loss function (ELF) for electron energies from 50 eV to 30 keV. These calculations were made with the relativistic full Penn algorithm (FPA) that has been used for previous IMFP and electron stopping-power calculations for many elemental solids. We also calculated IMFPs of water with three additional algorithms: the relativistic single-pole approximation (SPA), the relativistic simplified SPA, and the relativistic extended Mermin method. These calculations were made using the same optical ELF in order to assess any differences of the IMFPs arising from choice of the algorithm. We found good agreement among the IMFPs from the four algorithms for energies over 300 eV. For energies less than 100 eV, however, large differences became apparent. IMFPs from the relativistic TPP-2M equation for predicting IMFPs were in good agreement with IMFPs from the four algorithms for energies between 300 eV and 30 keV but there was poorer agreement for lower energies. We calculated values of the static structure factor as a function of momentum transfer from the FPA. The resulting values were in good agreement with results from first-principles calculations and with inelastic X-ray scattering spectroscopy experiments. We made comparisons of our IMFPs with earlier calculations from authors who had used different algorithms and different ELF data sets. IMFP differences could then be analyzed in terms of the algorithms and the data sets. Finally, we compared our IMFPs with measurements of IMFPs and of a related quantity, the effective attenuation length (EAL). There were large variations in the measured IMFPs and EALs (as well as their dependence on electron energy). Further measurements are therefore required to establish consistent data sets and for more detailed comparisons with calculated IMFPs. PMID:28751796

Calculations of Electron Inelastic Mean Free Paths. XI. Data for Liquid Water for Energies from 50 eV to 30 keV.

PubMed

Shinotsuka, H; Da, B; Tanuma, S; Yoshikawa, H; Powell, C J; Penn, D R

2017-04-01

We calculated electron inelastic mean free paths (IMFPs) for liquid water from its optical energy-loss function (ELF) for electron energies from 50 eV to 30 keV. These calculations were made with the relativistic full Penn algorithm (FPA) that has been used for previous IMFP and electron stopping-power calculations for many elemental solids. We also calculated IMFPs of water with three additional algorithms: the relativistic single-pole approximation (SPA), the relativistic simplified SPA, and the relativistic extended Mermin method. These calculations were made using the same optical ELF in order to assess any differences of the IMFPs arising from choice of the algorithm. We found good agreement among the IMFPs from the four algorithms for energies over 300 eV. For energies less than 100 eV, however, large differences became apparent. IMFPs from the relativistic TPP-2M equation for predicting IMFPs were in good agreement with IMFPs from the four algorithms for energies between 300 eV and 30 keV but there was poorer agreement for lower energies. We calculated values of the static structure factor as a function of momentum transfer from the FPA. The resulting values were in good agreement with results from first-principles calculations and with inelastic X-ray scattering spectroscopy experiments. We made comparisons of our IMFPs with earlier calculations from authors who had used different algorithms and different ELF data sets. IMFP differences could then be analyzed in terms of the algorithms and the data sets. Finally, we compared our IMFPs with measurements of IMFPs and of a related quantity, the effective attenuation length (EAL). There were large variations in the measured IMFPs and EALs (as well as their dependence on electron energy). Further measurements are therefore required to establish consistent data sets and for more detailed comparisons with calculated IMFPs.

Some calculations of transonic potential flow for the NACA 64A006 airfoil with oscillating flap

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, R. M.; Bland, S. R.

1978-01-01

A method for calculating the transonic flow over steady and oscillating airfoils was developed by Isogai. It solves the full potential equation with a semi-implicit, time-marching, finite difference technique. Steady flow solutions are obtained from time asymptotic solutions for a steady airfoil. Corresponding oscillatory solutions are obtained by initiating an oscillation and marching in time for several cycles until a converged periodic solution is achieved. In this paper the method is described in general terms, and results are compared with experimental data for both steady flow and for oscillations at several values of reduced frequency. Good agreement for static pressures is shown for subcritical speeds, with increasing deviation as Mach number is increased into the supercritical speed range. Fair agreement with experiment was obtained at high reduced frequencies with larger deviations at low reduced frequencies.

Lattice properties of the Phase I BNL x-ray lithography source obtained from fits to magnetic measurement data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blumberg, L.N.; Murphy, J.B.; Reusch, M.F.

1991-01-01

The orbit, tune, chromaticity and {beta} values for the Phase 1 XLS ring were computed by numerical integration of equations of motion using fields obtained from the coefficients of the 3-dimensional solution of Laplace's Equation evaluated by fits to magnetic measurements. The results are in good agreement with available data. The method has been extended to higher order fits of TOSCA generated fields in planes normal to the reference axis using the coil configuration proposed for the Superconducting X-Ray Lithography Source. Agreement with results from numerical integration through fields given directly by TOSCA is excellent. The formulation of the normalmore » multipole expansion presented by Brown and Servranckx has been extended to include skew multipole terms. The method appears appropriate for analysis of magnetic measurements of the SXLS. 8 refs. , 2 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Calculation of astrophysical S-factor in reaction ^{13}C(p,γ )^{14}N for first resonance levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moghadasi, A.; Sadeghi, H.; Pourimani, R.

2018-01-01

The ^{13}C(p,γ )^{14}N reaction is one of the important reactions in the CNO cycle, which is a key process in nucleosynthesis. We first calculated wave functions for the bound state of ^{14}N with Faddeev's method. In this method, the considered reaction components are ^{12}C+n+p. Then, by using direct capture cross section and Breit-Wigner formulae, the non-resonant and resonant cross sections were calculated, respectively. In the next step, we calculated the total S-factor and compared it with experimental data, which showed good agreement between them. Next, we extrapolated the S-factor for the transition to the ground state at zero energy and obtained S(0)=5.8 ± 0.7 (keV b) and then calculate reaction rate. These ones are in agreement with previous reported results.

Objective Measurement of Erythema in Psoriasis using Digital Color Photography with Color Calibration

PubMed Central

Raina, Abhay; Hennessy, Ricky; Rains, Michael; Allred, James; Hirshburg, Jason M; Diven, Dayna; Markey, Mia K.

2016-01-01

Background Traditional metrics for evaluating the severity of psoriasis are subjective, which complicates efforts to measure effective treatments in clinical trials. Methods We collected images of psoriasis plaques and calibrated the coloration of the images according to an included color card. Features were extracted from the images and used to train a linear discriminant analysis classifier with cross-validation to automatically classify the degree of erythema. The results were tested against numerical scores obtained by a panel of dermatologists using a standard rating system. Results Quantitative measures of erythema based on the digital color images showed good agreement with subjective assessment of erythema severity (κ = 0.4203). The color calibration process improved the agreement from κ = 0.2364 to κ = 0.4203. Conclusions We propose a method for the objective measurement of the psoriasis severity parameter of erythema and show that the calibration process improved the results. PMID:26517973

First-principles electron transport with phonon coupling: Large scale at low cost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunst, Tue; Markussen, Troels; Palsgaard, Mattias L. N.; Stokbro, Kurt; Brandbyge, Mads

2017-10-01

Phonon-assisted tunneling plays a crucial role for electronic device performance and even more so with future size down-scaling. We show how one can include this effect in large-scale first-principles calculations using a single "special thermal displacement" (STD) of the atomic coordinates at almost the same cost as elastic transport calculations, by extending the recent method of Zacharias et al. [Phys. Rev. B 94, 075125 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevB.94.075125] to the important case of Landauer conductance. We apply the method to ultrascaled silicon devices and demonstrate the importance of phonon-assisted band-to-band and source-to-drain tunneling. In a diode the phonons lead to a rectification ratio suppression in good agreement with experiments, while in an ultrathin body transistor the phonons increase off currents by four orders of magnitude, and the subthreshold swing by a factor of 4, in agreement with perturbation theory.

Variations in definition and method of retrieval of complications influence outcomes statistics after pancreatoduodenectomy: comparison of NSQIP with non-NSQIP methods.

PubMed

Sanford, Dominic E; Woolsey, Cheryl A; Hall, Bruce L; Linehan, David C; Hawkins, William G; Fields, Ryan C; Strasberg, Steven M

2014-09-01

NSQIP and the Accordion Severity Grading System have recently been used to develop quantitative methods for measuring the burden of postoperative complications. However, other audit methods such as chart reviews and prospective institutional databases are commonly used to gather postoperative complications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate discordance between different audit methods in pancreatoduodenectomy--a common major surgical procedure. The chief aim was to determine how these different methods could affect quantitative evaluations of postoperative complications. Three common audit methods were compared with NSQIP in 84 patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy. The methods were use of a prospective database, a chart review based on discharge summaries only, and a detailed retrospective chart review. The methods were evaluated for discordance with NSQIP and among themselves. Severity grading was performed using the Modified Accordion System. Fifty-three complications were listed by NSQIP and 31 complications were identified that were not listed by NSQIP. There was poor agreement for NSQIP-type complications between NSQIP and the other audit methods for mild and moderate complications (kappa 0.381 to 0.744), but excellent agreement for severe complications (kappa 0.953 to 1.00). Discordance was usually due to variations in definition of the complications in non-NSQIP methods. There was good agreement among non-NSQIP methods for non-NSQIP complications for moderate and severe complications, but not for mild complications. There are important differences in perceived surgical outcomes based on the method of complication retrieval. The non-NSQIP methods used in this study could not be substituted for NSQIP in a quantitative analysis unless that analysis was limited to severe complications. Copyright © 2014 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Concentrations and fate of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D(5)) in the atmosphere.

PubMed

McLachlan, Michael S; Kierkegaard, Amelie; Hansen, Kaj M; van Egmond, Roger; Christensen, Jesper H; Skjøth, Carsten A

2010-07-15

Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D(5)) is a volatile compound used in personal care products that is released to the atmosphere in large quantities. Although D(5) is currently under consideration for regulation, there have been no field investigations of its atmospheric fate. We employed a recently developed, quality assured method to measure D(5) concentration in ambient air at a rural site in Sweden. The samples were collected with daily resolution between January and June 2009. The D(5) concentration ranged from 0.3 to 9 ng m(-3), which is 1-3 orders of magnitude lower than previous reports. The measured data were compared with D(5) concentrations predicted using an atmospheric circulation model that included both OH radical and D(5) chemistry. The model was parametrized using emissions estimates and physical chemical properties determined in laboratory experiments. There was good agreement between the measured and modeled D(5) concentrations. The results show that D(5) is clearly subject to long-range atmospheric transport, but that it is also effectively removed from the atmosphere via phototransformation. Atmospheric deposition has little influence on the atmospheric fate. The good agreement between the model predictions and the field observations indicates that there is a good understanding of the major factors governing D(5) concentrations in the atmosphere.

A Multi-Domain Self-Report Measure of Coparenting

PubMed Central

Feinberg, Mark E.; Brown, Louis D.; Kan, Marni L.

2012-01-01

SYNOPSIS Objective This study reports the psychometric properties of a multi-domain measure of the coparenting relationship in dual-parent families. Method 152 couples participating in a transition to parenthood study completed the Coparenting Relationship Scale and additional measures during home visits at child age 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years. Results Psychometric and construct validity assessments indicated the measure performed satisfactorily. The 35-item measure demonstrated good reliability and strong stability. Subscales measuring theoretically and empirically important aspects of coparenting (coparenting agreement, coparenting closeness, exposure of child to conflict, coparenting support, coparenting undermining, endorsement of partner’s parenting, and division of labor) demonstrated good reliability as well. A 14-item brief overall measure showed very strong associations with the overall measure. Relations of the full scale with a measure of social desirability were weak, and the full scale was positively associated with positive dimensions of the dyadic couple relationship (love, sex/romance, couple efficacy) and inversely associated with negative dimensions (conflict, ineffective arguing)—as expected. Conclusions This initial examination of the Coparenting Relationship Scale suggests that it possesses good psychometric properties (reliability, stability, construct validity, and inter-rater agreement), can be flexibly administered in short and long forms, and is positioned to promote further conceptual and methodological progress in the study of coparenting. PMID:23166477

A multimedia fate and chemical transport modeling system for pesticides: II. Model evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Rong; Scholtz, M. Trevor; Yang, Fuquan; Sloan, James J.

2011-07-01

Pesticides have adverse health effects and can be transported over long distances to contaminate sensitive ecosystems. To address problems caused by environmental pesticides we developed a multimedia multi-pollutant modeling system, and here we present an evaluation of the model by comparing modeled results against measurements. The modeled toxaphene air concentrations for two sites, in Louisiana (LA) and Michigan (MI), are in good agreement with measurements (average concentrations agree to within a factor of 2). Because the residue inventory showed no soil residues at these two sites, resulting in no emissions, the concentrations must be caused by transport; the good agreement between the modeled and measured concentrations suggests that the model simulates atmospheric transport accurately. Compared to the LA and MI sites, the measured air concentrations at two other sites having toxaphene soil residues leading to emissions, in Indiana and Arkansas, showed more pronounced seasonal variability (higher in warmer months); this pattern was also captured by the model. The model-predicted toxaphene concentration fraction on particles (0.5-5%) agrees well with measurement-based estimates (3% or 6%). There is also good agreement between modeled and measured dry (1:1) and wet (within a factor of less than 2) depositions in Lake Ontario. Additionally this study identified erroneous soil residue data around a site in Texas in a published US toxaphene residue inventory, which led to very low modeled air concentrations at this site. Except for the erroneous soil residue data around this site, the good agreement between the modeled and observed results implies that both the US and Mexican toxaphene soil residue inventories are reasonably good. This agreement also suggests that the modeling system is capable of simulating the important physical and chemical processes in the multimedia compartments.

Home blood pressure measurement in elderly patients with cognitive impairment: comparison of agreement between relative-measured blood pressure and automated blood pressure measurement.

PubMed

Plichart, Matthieu; Seux, Marie-Laure; Caillard, Laure; Chaussade, Edouard; Vidal, Jean-Sébastien; Boully, Clémence; Hanon, Olivier

2013-08-01

Home blood pressure measurement (HBPM) is recommended by guidelines for hypertension management. However, this method might be difficult to use in elderly individuals with cognitive disorders. Our aim was to assess the agreement and the feasibility of HBPM by a relative as compared with 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in elderly patients with dementia. Sixty outpatients with dementia aged 75 years and older with office hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg) were subjected successively to HBPM by a trained relative and 24-h ABPM. The order of the two methods was randomized. Current guidelines' thresholds for the diagnosis of hypertension were used. The mean (SD) age of the patients was 80.8 (6.1) years (55% women) and the mean (SD) mini-mental state examination score was 20.1 (6.9). The feasibility of relative-HBPM was very high, with a 97% success rate (defined by ≥12/18 measurements reported). The blood pressure measurements were highly correlated between the two methods (r=0.75 and 0.64 for systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, respectively; P<0.001 for both). The agreement between the methods for the diagnosis of sustained hypertension and white-coat hypertension was excellent (overall agreement, 92%; κ coefficient, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.61-0.93). Similar results were found for daytime-ABPM. In cognitively impaired elderly patients, HBPM by a relative using an automated device was a good alternative to 24-h ABPM.

19 CFR 10.605 - Goods classifiable as goods put up in sets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.605 Goods classifiable as goods... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Goods classifiable as goods put up in sets. 10.605 Section 10.605 Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY...

19 CFR 10.761 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement General... applicable to imported goods under the United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (the MFTA) signed on June 15, 2004, and under the United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 118...

19 CFR 10.501 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement General... applicable to imported goods under the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (the SFTA) signed on May 6, 2003, and under the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 117...

32 CFR 37.580 - What is recovery of funds and when should I consider including it in my TIA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DoD GRANT AND AGREEMENT REGULATIONS TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS Pre-Award Business.... Recovery of funds is a good tool in the right circumstances, at the discretion of the agreements officer...

32 CFR 37.580 - What is recovery of funds and when should I consider including it in my TIA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DoD GRANT AND AGREEMENT REGULATIONS TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS Pre-Award Business.... Recovery of funds is a good tool in the right circumstances, at the discretion of the agreements officer...

Investigating Various Thresholds as Immunohistochemistry Cutoffs for Observer Agreement.

PubMed

Ali, Asif; Bell, Sarah; Bilsland, Alan; Slavin, Jill; Lynch, Victoria; Elgoweini, Maha; Derakhshan, Mohammad H; Jamieson, Nigel B; Chang, David; Brown, Victoria; Denley, Simon; Orange, Clare; McKay, Colin; Carter, Ross; Oien, Karin A; Duthie, Fraser R

2017-10-01

Clinical translation of immunohistochemistry (IHC) biomarkers requires reliable and reproducible cutoffs or thresholds for interpretation of immunostaining. Most IHC biomarker research focuses on the clinical relevance (diagnostic, prognostic, or predictive utility) of cutoffs, with less emphasis on observer agreement using these cutoffs. From the literature, we identified 3 commonly used cutoffs of 10% positive epithelial cells, 20% positive epithelial cells, and moderate to strong staining intensity (+2/+3 hereafter) to use for investigating observer agreement. A series of 36 images of microarray cores stained for 4 different IHC biomarkers, with variable staining intensity and percentage of positive cells, was used for investigating interobserver and intraobserver agreement. Seven pathologists scored the immunostaining in each image using the 3 cutoffs for positive and negative staining. Kappa (κ) statistic was used to assess the strength of agreement for each cutoff. The interobserver agreement between all 7 pathologists using the 3 cutoffs was reasonably good, with mean κ scores of 0.64, 0.59, and 0.62, respectively, for 10%, 20%, and +2/+3 cutoffs. A good agreement was observed for experienced pathologists using the 10% cutoff, and their agreement was statistically higher than for junior pathologists (P=0.02). In addition, the mean intraobserver agreement for all 7 pathologists using the 3 cutoffs was reasonably good, with mean κ scores of 0.71, 0.60, and 0.73, respectively, for 10%, 20%, and +2/+3 cutoffs. For all 3 cutoffs, a positive correlation was observed with perceived ease of interpretation (P<0.003). Finally, cytoplasmic-only staining achieved higher agreement using all 3 cutoffs than mixed staining patterns. All 3 cutoffs investigated achieve reasonable strength of agreement, modestly decreasing interobserver and intraobserver variability in IHC interpretation. These cutoffs have previously been used in cancer pathology, and this study provides evidence that these cutoffs can be reproducible between practicing pathologists.

Development and Relative Validity of a Food Frequency Questionnaire to Assess Intakes of Total and Free Sugars in Australian Toddlers.

PubMed

Devenish, Gemma; Mukhtar, Aqif; Begley, Andrea; Do, Loc; Scott, Jane

2017-11-08

Background : Dental research into early childhood caries is hindered by a lack of suitable dietary assessment tools that have been developed and validated for the population and outcomes of interest. The aim of this study was to develop and investigate the relative validity and reproducibility of the Study of Mothers' and Infants' Life Events Food Frequency Questionnaire (SMILE-FFQ), to assess the total and free sugars intakes of Australian toddlers. Methods : The SMILE-FFQ was designed to capture the leading dietary contributors to dental caries risk in toddlers aged 18-30 months via a proxy report. Ninety-five parents of Australian toddlers completed the questionnaire online before and after providing three 24-h recalls (24HR), collected on non-consecutive days using the multipass method. Total and free sugars were compared between the two SMILE-FFQ administrations and between each SMILE-FFQ and the 24HR using multiple statistical tests and standardised validity criteria. Correlation (Pearson), mean difference (Wilcoxon rank test) and Bland Altman analyses were conducted to compare absolute values, with cross-classification (Chi-Square and Weighted Kappa) used to compare agreement across tertiles. Results : All reproducibility tests showed good agreement except weighted kappa, which showed acceptable agreement. Relative validity tests revealed a mix of good and acceptable agreement, with total sugars performing better at the individual level than free sugars. Compared to the 24HR, the SMILE-FFQ tended to underestimate absolute values at lower levels and overestimate them at higher levels. Conclusions : The combined findings of the various tests indicate that the SMILE-FFQ performs comparably to the 24HR for assessing both total and free sugars among individuals, is most effective for ranking participants rather than determining absolute intakes, and is therefore suitable for use in observational studies of Australian toddlers.

Assessment of LVEF using a new 16-segment wall motion score in echocardiography.

PubMed

Lebeau, Real; Serri, Karim; Lorenzo, Maria Di; Sauvé, Claude; Le, Van Hoai Viet; Soulières, Vicky; El-Rayes, Malak; Pagé, Maude; Zaïani, Chimène; Garot, Jérôme; Poulin, Frédéric

2018-06-01

Simpson biplane method and 3D by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), radionuclide angiography (RNA) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) are the most accepted techniques for left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assessment. Wall motion score index (WMSI) by TTE is an accepted complement. However, the conversion from WMSI to LVEF is obtained through a regression equation, which may limit its use. In this retrospective study, we aimed to validate a new method to derive LVEF from the wall motion score in 95 patients. The new score consisted of attributing a segmental EF to each LV segment based on the wall motion score and averaging all 16 segmental EF into a global LVEF. This segmental EF score was calculated on TTE in 95 patients, and RNA was used as the reference LVEF method. LVEF using the new segmental EF 15-40-65 score on TTE was compared to the reference methods using linear regression and Bland-Altman analyses. The median LVEF was 45% (interquartile range 32-53%; range from 15 to 65%). Our new segmental EF 15-40-65 score derived on TTE correlated strongly with RNA-LVEF ( r  = 0.97). Overall, the new score resulted in good agreement of LVEF compared to RNA (mean bias 0.61%). The standard deviations (s.d.s) of the distributions of inter-method difference for the comparison of the new score with RNA were 6.2%, indicating good precision. LVEF assessment using segmental EF derived from the wall motion score applied to each of the 16 LV segments has excellent correlation and agreement with a reference method. © 2018 The authors.

A high-resolution computational localization method for transcranial magnetic stimulation mapping.

PubMed

Aonuma, Shinta; Gomez-Tames, Jose; Laakso, Ilkka; Hirata, Akimasa; Takakura, Tomokazu; Tamura, Manabu; Muragaki, Yoshihiro

2018-05-15

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is used for the mapping of brain motor functions. The complexity of the brain deters determining the exact localization of the stimulation site using simplified methods (e.g., the region below the center of the TMS coil) or conventional computational approaches. This study aimed to present a high-precision localization method for a specific motor area by synthesizing computed non-uniform current distributions in the brain for multiple sessions of TMS. Peritumoral mapping by TMS was conducted on patients who had intra-axial brain neoplasms located within or close to the motor speech area. The electric field induced by TMS was computed using realistic head models constructed from magnetic resonance images of patients. A post-processing method was implemented to determine a TMS hotspot by combining the computed electric fields for the coil orientations and positions that delivered high motor-evoked potentials during peritumoral mapping. The method was compared to the stimulation site localized via intraoperative direct brain stimulation and navigated TMS. Four main results were obtained: 1) the dependence of the computed hotspot area on the number of peritumoral measurements was evaluated; 2) the estimated localization of the hand motor area in eight non-affected hemispheres was in good agreement with the position of a so-called "hand-knob"; 3) the estimated hotspot areas were not sensitive to variations in tissue conductivity; and 4) the hand motor areas estimated by this proposal and direct electric stimulation (DES) were in good agreement in the ipsilateral hemisphere of four glioma patients. The TMS localization method was validated by well-known positions of the "hand-knob" in brains for the non-affected hemisphere, and by a hotspot localized via DES during awake craniotomy for the tumor-containing hemisphere. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pressure algorithm for elliptic flow calculations with the PDF method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anand, M. S.; Pope, S. B.; Mongia, H. C.

1991-01-01

An algorithm to determine the mean pressure field for elliptic flow calculations with the probability density function (PDF) method is developed and applied. The PDF method is a most promising approach for the computation of turbulent reacting flows. Previous computations of elliptic flows with the method were in conjunction with conventional finite volume based calculations that provided the mean pressure field. The algorithm developed and described here permits the mean pressure field to be determined within the PDF calculations. The PDF method incorporating the pressure algorithm is applied to the flow past a backward-facing step. The results are in good agreement with data for the reattachment length, mean velocities, and turbulence quantities including triple correlations.

Automatic tracking of labeled red blood cells in microchannels.

PubMed

Pinho, Diana; Lima, Rui; Pereira, Ana I; Gayubo, Fernando

2013-09-01

The current study proposes an automatic method for the segmentation and tracking of red blood cells flowing through a 100- μm glass capillary. The original images were obtained by means of a confocal system and then processed in MATLAB using the Image Processing Toolbox. The measurements obtained with the proposed automatic method were compared with the results determined by a manual tracking method. The comparison was performed by using both linear regressions and Bland-Altman analysis. The results have shown a good agreement between the two methods. Therefore, the proposed automatic method is a powerful way to provide rapid and accurate measurements for in vitro blood experiments in microchannels. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Bidirectional light-scattering image processing method for high-concentration jet sprays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimizu, I.; Emori, Y.; Yang, W.-J.; Shimoda, M.; Suzuki, T.

1985-01-01

In order to study the distributions of droplet size and volume density in high-concentration jet sprays, a new technique is developed, which combines the forward and backward light scattering method and an image processing method. A pulsed ruby laser is used as the light source. The Mie scattering theory is applied to the results obtained from image processing on the scattering photographs. The time history is obtained for the droplet size and volume density distributions, and the method is demonstrated by diesel fuel sprays under various injecting conditions. The validity of the technique is verified by a good agreement in the injected fuel volume distributions obtained by the present method and by injection rate measurements.

Computation of Kinetics for the Hydrogen/Oxygen System Using the Thermodynamic Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marek, C. John

1996-01-01

A new method for predicting chemical rate constants using thermodynamics has been applied to the hydrogen/oxygen system. This method is based on using the gradient of the Gibbs free energy and a single proportionality constant D to determine the kinetic rate constants. Using this method the rate constants for any gas phase reaction can be computed from thermodynamic properties. A modified reaction set for the H/O system is determined. A11 of the third body efficiencies M are taken to be unity. Good agreement was obtained between the thermodynamic method and the experimental shock tube data. In addition, the hydrogen bromide experimental data presented in previous work is recomputed with M's of unity.

Spectrophotometric determination of triclosan in personal care products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Huihui; Ma, Hongbing; Tao, Guanhong

2009-09-01

A spectrophotometric method for the determination of triclosan in personal care products was proposed. It was based on the reaction of sodium nitrite with p-sulfanilic acid in an acidic medium to form diazonium ion, with which triclosan further formed an azo compound in an alkaline medium. The resulting yellow colored product has a maximum absorption at 452 nm. A good linear relationship ( r = 0.9999) was obtained in the range of 0-30 mg L -1 triclosan. A detection limit of 0.079 g L -1 was achieved and the relative standard deviation was 0.24% ( n = 11) at 14 mg L -1 triclosan. The proposed method has been applied to the analyses of triclosan in several personal care products and the results were in good agreement with those obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Assessing the capability of numerical methods to predict earthquake ground motion: the Euroseistest verification and validation project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaljub, E. O.; Bard, P.; Tsuno, S.; Kristek, J.; Moczo, P.; Franek, P.; Hollender, F.; Manakou, M.; Raptakis, D.; Pitilakis, K.

2009-12-01

During the last decades, an important effort has been dedicated to develop accurate and computationally efficient numerical methods to predict earthquake ground motion in heterogeneous 3D media. The progress in methods and increasing capability of computers have made it technically feasible to calculate realistic seismograms for frequencies of interest in seismic design applications. In order to foster the use of numerical simulation in practical prediction, it is important to (1) evaluate the accuracy of current numerical methods when applied to realistic 3D applications where no reference solution exists (verification) and (2) quantify the agreement between recorded and numerically simulated earthquake ground motion (validation). Here we report the results of the Euroseistest verification and validation project - an ongoing international collaborative work organized jointly by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, the Cashima research project (supported by the French nuclear agency, CEA, and the Laue-Langevin institute, ILL, Grenoble), and the Joseph Fourier University, Grenoble, France. The project involves more than 10 international teams from Europe, Japan and USA. The teams employ the Finite Difference Method (FDM), the Finite Element Method (FEM), the Global Pseudospectral Method (GPSM), the Spectral Element Method (SEM) and the Discrete Element Method (DEM). The project makes use of a new detailed 3D model of the Mygdonian basin (about 5 km wide, 15 km long, sediments reach about 400 m depth, surface S-wave velocity is 200 m/s). The prime target is to simulate 8 local earthquakes with magnitude from 3 to 5. In the verification, numerical predictions for frequencies up to 4 Hz for a series of models with increasing structural and rheological complexity are analyzed and compared using quantitative time-frequency goodness-of-fit criteria. Predictions obtained by one FDM team and the SEM team are close and different from other predictions (consistent with the ESG2006 exercise which targeted the Grenoble Valley). Diffractions off the basin edges and induced surface-wave propagation mainly contribute to differences between predictions. The differences are particularly large in the elastic models but remain important also in models with attenuation. In the validation, predictions are compared with the recordings by a local array of 19 surface and borehole accelerometers. The level of agreement is found event-dependent. For the largest-magnitude event the agreement is surprisingly good even at high frequencies.

Accuracy of endoscopic diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection according to level of endoscopic experience and the effect of training

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Accurate prediction of Helicobacter pylori infection status on endoscopic images can contribute to early detection of gastric cancer, especially in Asia. We identified the diagnostic yield of endoscopy for H. pylori infection at various endoscopist career levels and the effect of two years of training on diagnostic yield. Methods A total of 77 consecutive patients who underwent endoscopy were analyzed. H. pylori infection status was determined by histology, serology, and the urea breast test and categorized as H. pylori-uninfected, -infected, or -eradicated. Distinctive endoscopic findings were judged by six physicians at different career levels: beginner (<500 endoscopies), intermediate (1500–5000), and advanced (>5000). Diagnostic yield and inter- and intra-observer agreement on H. pylori infection status were evaluated. Values were compared between the two beginners after two years of training. The kappa (K) statistic was used to calculate agreement. Results For all physicians, the diagnostic yield was 88.9% for H. pylori-uninfected, 62.1% for H. pylori-infected, and 55.8% for H. pylori-eradicated. Intra-observer agreement for H. pylori infection status was good (K > 0.6) for all physicians, while inter-observer agreement was lower (K = 0.46) for beginners than for intermediate and advanced (K > 0.6). For all physicians, good inter-observer agreement in endoscopic findings was seen for atrophic change (K = 0.69), regular arrangement of collecting venules (K = 0.63), and hemorrhage (K = 0.62). For beginners, the diagnostic yield of H. pylori-infected/eradicated status and inter-observer agreement of endoscopic findings were improved after two years of training. Conclusions The diagnostic yield of endoscopic diagnosis was high for H. pylori-uninfected cases, but was low for H. pylori-eradicated cases. In beginners, daily training on endoscopic findings improved the low diagnostic yield. PMID:23947684

Method development for the determination of fluorine in water samples via the molecular absorption of strontium monofluoride formed in an electrothermal atomizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozbek, Nil; Akman, Suleyman

The presence of fluorine (F) was detected via the rotational molecular absorption line of diatomic strontium-monofluoride (SrF) generated in the gas phase at 651.187 nm using high-resolution continuum source electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Upon the addition of excess strontium (Sr) as the nitrate, the fluorine in the sample was converted to SrF in the gas phase of a graphite furnace. The effects on the accuracy, precision and sensitivity of variables such as the SrF wavelength, graphite furnace program, amount of Sr, coating of the graphite tube and platform with Zr and Ir and the use of a modifier were investigated and optimized. It was determined that there was no need to use a modifier or to cover the platform/tubes with Zr or Ir. Fluorine concentrations in various water samples (certified waste water, tap water, drinking water and mineral water) were determined using 20 μg of Sr as the molecule-forming reagent and applying a maximum pyrolysis temperature of 800 °C and a molecule-forming temperature of 2200 °C with a heating rate of 2000 °C s- 1. Good linearity was maintained up to 0.1 μg of F. The accuracy and precision of the method were tested by analyzing certified reference wastewater. The results were in good agreement with certified values, and the precision was satisfactory (RSD < 10%). The limit of detection and the characteristic mass for the method were 0.36 ng and 0.55 ng, respectively. Finally, the fluorine concentrations in several drinking water and mineral water samples taken from the market were determined. The results were in good agreement with the values supplied by the producers. No significant differences were found between the results from the linear calibration and standard addition techniques. The method was determined to be simple, fast, accurate and sensitive.

An automated in vitro model for the evaluation of ultrasound modalities measuring myocardial deformation

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Echocardiography is the method of choice when one wishes to examine myocardial function. Qualitative assessment of the 2D grey scale images obtained is subjective, and objective methods are required. Speckle Tracking Ultrasound is an emerging technology, offering an objective mean of quantifying left ventricular wall motion. However, before a new ultrasound technology can be adopted in the clinic, accuracy and reproducibility needs to be investigated. Aim It was hypothesized that the collection of ultrasound sample data from an in vitro model could be automated. The aim was to optimize an in vitro model to allow for efficient collection of sample data. Material & Methods A tissue-mimicking phantom was made from water, gelatin powder, psyllium fibers and a preservative. Sonomicrometry crystals were molded into the phantom. The solid phantom was mounted in a stable stand and cyclically compressed. Peak strain was then measured by Speckle Tracking Ultrasound and sonomicrometry. Results We succeeded in automating the acquisition and analysis of sample data. Sample data was collected at a rate of 200 measurement pairs in 30 minutes. We found good agreement between Speckle Tracking Ultrasound and sonomicrometry in the in vitro model. Best agreement was 0.83 ± 0.70%. Worst agreement was -1.13 ± 6.46%. Conclusions It has been shown possible to automate a model that can be used for evaluating the in vitro accuracy and precision of ultrasound modalities measuring deformation. Sonomicrometry and Speckle Tracking Ultrasound had acceptable agreement. PMID:20822532

Comparison of body composition assessment methods in pediatric intestinal failure.

PubMed

Mehta, Nilesh M; Raphael, Bram; Guteirrez, Ivan M; Quinn, Nicolle; Mitchell, Paul D; Litman, Heather J; Jaksic, Tom; Duggan, Christopher P

2014-07-01

The aim of the study was to examine the agreement of multifrequency bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) and anthropometry with reference methods for body composition assessment in children with intestinal failure (IF). We conducted a prospective pilot study in children 14 years or younger with IF resulting from either short bowel syndrome or motility disorders. Bland-Altman analysis was used to examine the agreement between BIA and deuterium dilution in measuring total body water (TBW) and lean body mass (LBM), and between BIA and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) techniques in measuring LBM and fat mass (FM). FM and percent body fat (%BF) measurements by BIA and anthropometry were also compared in relation to those measured by deuterium dilution. Fifteen children with IF, median (interquartile range) age 7.2 (5.0, 10.0) years, and 10 (67%) boys, were studied. BIA and deuterium dilution were in good agreement with a mean bias (limits of agreement) of 0.9 (-3.2 to 5.0) for TBW (L) and 0.1 (-5.4 to 5.6) for LBM (kg) measurements. The mean bias (limits) for FM (kg) and %BF measurements were 0.4 (-3.8 to 4.6) kg and 1.7 (-16.9 to 20.3)%, respectively. The limits of agreement were within 1 standard deviation of the mean bias in 12 of 14 (86%) subjects for TBW and LBM, and in 11 of 14 (79%) for FM and %BF measurements. Mean bias (limits) for LBM (kg) and FM (kg) between BIA and DXA were 1.6 (-3.0 to 6.3) kg and -0.1 (-3.2 to 3.1) kg, respectively. Mean bias (limits) for FM (kg) and %BF between anthropometry and deuterium dilution were 0.2 (-4.2 to 4.6) and -0.2 (-19.5 to 19.1), respectively. The limits of agreement were within 1 standard deviation of the mean bias in 10 of 14 (71%) subjects. In children with IF, TBW and LBM measurements by multifrequency BIA method were in agreement with isotope dilution and DXA methods, with small mean bias and clinically acceptable limits of agreement. In comparison with deuterium dilution, BIA was comparable to anthropometry for FM and %BF assessments with small mean bias, but the limits of agreement were large. BIA is a reliable method for TBW and LBM assessments in population studies; however, its reliability in individual patients, especially for FM assessments, cannot be guaranteed.

Information Technology Management: DoD Organization Information Assurance Management of Information Technology Goods and Services Acquired Through Interagency Agreements

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-02-23

Information Technology Management Department of Defense Office of Inspector General February 23, 2006 AccountabilityIntegrityQuality DoD...Organization Information Assurance Management of Information Technology Goods and Services Acquired Through Interagency Agreements (D-2006-052) Report...REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2006 to 00-00-2006 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Information Technology Management: DoD Organization Information

Heat-transfer distributions on a 0.013-scale shuttle solid rocket booster at Mach 3.70 and angles of attack from 0 deg to 180 deg

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamb, M.; Stallings, R. L., Jr.

1976-01-01

An experimental investigation was conducted in the Langley Unitary Plan wind tunnel to estimate the peak aerodynamic heating on the space shuttle solid rocket booster during the descent phase of its flight. Heat transfer measurements were obtained using 0.013 scale models instrumented with thermocouples at a Mach number of 3.70, Reynolds number per meter of 11.48 million, and angles of attack from 0 to 180 deg. At angles of attack of 0 and 180 deg, heat transfer measurements on the cylindrical section of the model between the conical nose and ring interaction region were in good agreement with flat plate strip theory for laminar and turbulent flow. At angles of attack up to 30 deg, measurements on this section of the model were in good agreement with laminar swept-cylinder theory, whereas at angles of attack from 120 to 180 deg, the measurements were in good agreement with turbulent swept-cylinder theory. The good agreement with turbulent theory indicated that large flow disturbances created by the nozzle and afterbody flare at these large angles of attack influenced the downstream heating primarily by promoting boundary layer transition. Measurements obtained at 90 deg angle of attack were indicative of laminar flow.

Study on Collision of Ship Side Structure by Simplified Plastic Analysis Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, C. J.; Zhou, J. H.; Wu, W.

2017-10-01

During its lifetime, a ship may encounter collision or grounding and sustain permanent damage after these types of accidents. Crashworthiness has been based on two kinds of main methods: simplified plastic analysis and numerical simulation. A simplified plastic analysis method is presented in this paper. Numerical methods using the non-linear finite-element software LS-DYNA are conducted to validate the method. The results show that, as for the accuracy of calculation results, the simplified plasticity analysis are in good agreement with the finite element simulation, which reveals that the simplified plasticity analysis method can quickly and accurately estimate the crashworthiness of the side structure during the collision process and can be used as a reliable risk assessment method.

Achieving across-laboratory replicability in psychophysical scaling

PubMed Central

Ward, Lawrence M.; Baumann, Michael; Moffat, Graeme; Roberts, Larry E.; Mori, Shuji; Rutledge-Taylor, Matthew; West, Robert L.

2015-01-01

It is well known that, although psychophysical scaling produces good qualitative agreement between experiments, precise quantitative agreement between experimental results, such as that routinely achieved in physics or biology, is rarely or never attained. A particularly galling example of this is the fact that power function exponents for the same psychological continuum, measured in different laboratories but ostensibly using the same scaling method, magnitude estimation, can vary by a factor of three. Constrained scaling (CS), in which observers first learn a standardized meaning for a set of numerical responses relative to a standard sensory continuum and then make magnitude judgments of other sensations using the learned response scale, has produced excellent quantitative agreement between individual observers’ psychophysical functions. Theoretically it could do the same for across-laboratory comparisons, although this needs to be tested directly. We compared nine different experiments from four different laboratories as an example of the level of across experiment and across-laboratory agreement achievable using CS. In general, we found across experiment and across-laboratory agreement using CS to be significantly superior to that typically obtained with conventional magnitude estimation techniques, although some of its potential remains to be realized. PMID:26191019

Comparative evaluation of RetCam vs. gonioscopy images in congenital glaucoma.

PubMed

Azad, Raj V; Chandra, Parijat; Chandra, Anuradha; Gupta, Aparna; Gupta, Viney; Sihota, Ramanjit

2014-02-01

To compare clarity, exposure and quality of anterior chamber angle visualization in congenital glaucoma patients, using RetCam and indirect gonioscopy images. Cross-sectional study Participants. Congenital glaucoma patients over age of 5 years. A prospective consecutive pilot study was done in congenital glaucoma patients who were older than 5 years. Methods used are indirect gonioscopy and RetCam imaging. Clarity of the image, extent of angle visible and details of angle structures seen were graded for both methods, on digitally recorded images, in each eye, by two masked observers. Image clarity, interobserver agreement. 40 eyes of 25 congenital glaucoma patients were studied. RetCam image had excellent clarity in 77.5% of patients versus 47.5% by gonioscopy. The extent of angle seen was similar by both methods. Agreement between RetCam and gonioscopy images regarding details of angle structures was 72.50% by observer 1 and 65.00% by observer 2. There was good agreement between RetCam and indirect gonioscopy images in detecting angle structures of congenital glaucoma patients. However, RetCam provided greater clarity, with better quality, and higher magnification images. RetCam can be a useful alternative to gonioscopy in infants and small children without the need for general anesthesia.

GPUs, a New Tool of Acceleration in CFD: Efficiency and Reliability on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Methods

PubMed Central

Crespo, Alejandro C.; Dominguez, Jose M.; Barreiro, Anxo; Gómez-Gesteira, Moncho; Rogers, Benedict D.

2011-01-01

Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) is a numerical method commonly used in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to simulate complex free-surface flows. Simulations with this mesh-free particle method far exceed the capacity of a single processor. In this paper, as part of a dual-functioning code for either central processing units (CPUs) or Graphics Processor Units (GPUs), a parallelisation using GPUs is presented. The GPU parallelisation technique uses the Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) of nVidia devices. Simulations with more than one million particles on a single GPU card exhibit speedups of up to two orders of magnitude over using a single-core CPU. It is demonstrated that the code achieves different speedups with different CUDA-enabled GPUs. The numerical behaviour of the SPH code is validated with a standard benchmark test case of dam break flow impacting on an obstacle where good agreement with the experimental results is observed. Both the achieved speed-ups and the quantitative agreement with experiments suggest that CUDA-based GPU programming can be used in SPH methods with efficiency and reliability. PMID:21695185

19 CFR 10.861 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement General Provisions... to imported goods under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement (the OFTA) signed on January 19, 2006, and under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 120 Stat. 1191...

19 CFR 10.861 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement General Provisions... to imported goods under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement (the OFTA) signed on January 19, 2006, and under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 120 Stat. 1191...

19 CFR 10.861 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement General Provisions... to imported goods under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement (the OFTA) signed on January 19, 2006, and under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 120 Stat. 1191...

19 CFR 10.861 - Scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement General Provisions... to imported goods under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement (the OFTA) signed on January 19, 2006, and under the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act; 120 Stat. 1191...

Prospective, observational study comparing automated and visual point-of-care urinalysis in general practice

PubMed Central

van Delft, Sanne; Goedhart, Annelijn; Spigt, Mark; van Pinxteren, Bart; de Wit, Niek; Hopstaken, Rogier

2016-01-01

Objective Point-of-care testing (POCT) urinalysis might reduce errors in (subjective) reading, registration and communication of test results, and might also improve diagnostic outcome and optimise patient management. Evidence is lacking. In the present study, we have studied the analytical performance of automated urinalysis and visual urinalysis compared with a reference standard in routine general practice. Setting The study was performed in six general practitioner (GP) group practices in the Netherlands. Automated urinalysis was compared with visual urinalysis in these practices. Reference testing was performed in a primary care laboratory (Saltro, Utrecht, The Netherlands). Primary and secondary outcome measures Analytical performance of automated and visual urinalysis compared with the reference laboratory method was the primary outcome measure, analysed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) and Cohen's κ coefficient for agreement. Secondary outcome measure was the user-friendliness of the POCT analyser. Results Automated urinalysis by experienced and routinely trained practice assistants in general practice performs as good as visual urinalysis for nitrite, leucocytes and erythrocytes. Agreement for nitrite is high for automated and visual urinalysis. κ's are 0.824 and 0.803 (ranked as very good and good, respectively). Agreement with the central laboratory reference standard for automated and visual urinalysis for leucocytes is rather poor (0.256 for POCT and 0.197 for visual, respectively, ranked as fair and poor). κ's for erythrocytes are higher: 0.517 (automated) and 0.416 (visual), both ranked as moderate. The Urisys 1100 analyser was easy to use and considered to be not prone to flaws. Conclusions Automated urinalysis performed as good as traditional visual urinalysis on reading of nitrite, leucocytes and erythrocytes in routine general practice. Implementation of automated urinalysis in general practice is justified as automation is expected to reduce human errors in patient identification and transcribing of results. PMID:27503860

Prospective, observational study comparing automated and visual point-of-care urinalysis in general practice.

PubMed

van Delft, Sanne; Goedhart, Annelijn; Spigt, Mark; van Pinxteren, Bart; de Wit, Niek; Hopstaken, Rogier

2016-08-08

Point-of-care testing (POCT) urinalysis might reduce errors in (subjective) reading, registration and communication of test results, and might also improve diagnostic outcome and optimise patient management. Evidence is lacking. In the present study, we have studied the analytical performance of automated urinalysis and visual urinalysis compared with a reference standard in routine general practice. The study was performed in six general practitioner (GP) group practices in the Netherlands. Automated urinalysis was compared with visual urinalysis in these practices. Reference testing was performed in a primary care laboratory (Saltro, Utrecht, The Netherlands). Analytical performance of automated and visual urinalysis compared with the reference laboratory method was the primary outcome measure, analysed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) and Cohen's κ coefficient for agreement. Secondary outcome measure was the user-friendliness of the POCT analyser. Automated urinalysis by experienced and routinely trained practice assistants in general practice performs as good as visual urinalysis for nitrite, leucocytes and erythrocytes. Agreement for nitrite is high for automated and visual urinalysis. κ's are 0.824 and 0.803 (ranked as very good and good, respectively). Agreement with the central laboratory reference standard for automated and visual urinalysis for leucocytes is rather poor (0.256 for POCT and 0.197 for visual, respectively, ranked as fair and poor). κ's for erythrocytes are higher: 0.517 (automated) and 0.416 (visual), both ranked as moderate. The Urisys 1100 analyser was easy to use and considered to be not prone to flaws. Automated urinalysis performed as good as traditional visual urinalysis on reading of nitrite, leucocytes and erythrocytes in routine general practice. Implementation of automated urinalysis in general practice is justified as automation is expected to reduce human errors in patient identification and transcribing of results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Monte Carlo simulations for the free energies of C60 and C70 fullerene crystals by acceptance ratio method and expanded ensemble method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Minkyu; Chang, Jaeeon; Sandler, Stanley I.

2014-02-01

Accurate values of the free energies of C60 and C70 fullerene crystals are obtained using expanded ensemble method and acceptance ratio method combined with the Einstein-molecule approach. Both simulation methods, when tested for Lennard-Jones crystals, give accurate results of the free energy differing from each other in the fifth significant digit. The solid-solid phase transition temperature of C60 crystal is determined from free energy profiles, and found to be 260 K, which is in good agreement with experiment. For C70 crystal, using the potential model of Sprik et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 1660 (1992)], low-temperature solid-solid phase transition temperature is found to be 160 K determined from the free energy profiles. Whereas this is somewhat lower than the experimental value, it is in agreement with conventional molecular simulations, which validates the methodological consistency of the present simulation method. From the calculations of the free energies of C60 and C70 crystals, we note the significance of symmetry number for crystal phase needed to properly account for the indistinguishability of orientationally disordered states.

19 CFR 10.764 - Declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement... tariff treatment specified for those goods in the United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement; and This...

Clinical evaluation of the 3M Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 in 150 cats.

PubMed

Blass, Keith A; Schober, Karsten E; Bonagura, John D; Scansen, Brian A; Visser, Lance C; Lu, Jennifer; Smith, Danielle N; Ward, Jessica L

2013-10-01

Detection of murmurs and gallops may help to identify cats with heart disease. However, auscultatory findings may be subject to clinically relevant observer variation. The objective of this study was to evaluate an electronic stethoscope (ES) in cats. We hypothesized that the ES would perform at least as well as a conventional stethoscope (CS) in the detection of abnormal heart sounds. One hundred and fifty consecutive cats undergoing echocardiography were enrolled prospectively. Cats were ausculted with a CS (WA Tycos Harvey Elite) by two observers, and heart sounds were recorded digitally using an ES (3M Littmann Stethoscope Model 3200) for off-line analysis. Echocardiography was used as the clinical standard method for validation of auscultatory findings. Additionally, digital recordings (DRs) were assessed by eight independent observers with various levels of expertise, and compared using interclass correlation and Cohen's weighted kappa analyses. Using the CS, a heart murmur (n = 88 cats) or gallop sound (n = 17) was identified in 105 cats, whereas 45 cats lacked abnormal heart sounds. There was good total agreement (83-90%) between the two observers using the CS. In contrast, there was only moderate agreement (P <0.001) between results from the CS and the DRs for murmurs, and poor agreement for gallops. The CS was more sensitive compared with the DRs with regard to murmurs and gallops. Agreement among the eight observers was good-to-excellent for murmur detection (81%). In conclusion, DRs made with the ES are less sensitive but comparably specific to a CS at detecting abnormal heart sounds in cats.

The stopping power and energy straggling of the energetic C and O ions in polyimide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikšová, R.; Macková, A.; Slepička, P.

2016-03-01

The stopping power and energy straggling of 12Cn+ and 16On+ heavy ions in the energy range 5.3-8.0 MeV in 8 μm thick polyimide (PI) foil were measured by means of an indirect transmission method using a half-covered a PIPS detector. Ions scattered from thin gold layer, under the scattering angle 150° were detected and the spectrum of ions penetrating the PI foil and without foil was recorded. The values of the experimentally determined stopping powers were compared to the calculated data by SRIM-2013 and MSTAR codes. Measured data were in good agreement with data calculated by SRIM-2013, especially for C ions was observed better agreement than for O ions. The energy straggling was determined and compared to those calculated by using Bohr's, Bethe-Livingston and Yang models. The measured energy straggling values in the PI foil was corrected for foil roughness and thickness inhomogeneity determined from AFM. Bethe-Livingston predicting formula has been modified to make it appropriate for thicker targets. The energy straggling determined in our experiment was obtained higher than Bohr's predicted value; the predictions by Yang are in good agreement with our experiment. Bethe-Livingston formulation of the energy straggling shows better agreement with the experimental data after the modified formula implementation which assumes that the thick target was consisted to be composed of n-number of thin layers. Influence of the charge-exchange phenomena to the energy straggling of C and O ions in PI was discussed.

Discrete-vortex model for the symmetric-vortex flow on cones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gainer, Thomas G.

1990-01-01

A relatively simple but accurate potential flow model was developed for studying the symmetric vortex flow on cones. The model is a modified version of the model first developed by Bryson, in which discrete vortices and straight-line feeding sheets were used to represent the flow field. It differs, however, in the zero-force condition used to position the vortices and determine their circulation strengths. The Bryson model imposed the condition that the net force on the feeding sheets and discrete vortices must be zero. The proposed model satisfies this zero-force condition by having the vortices move as free vortices, at a velocity equal to at the local crossflow velocity at their centers. When the free-vortex assumption is made, a solution is obtained in the form of two nonlinear algebraic equations that relate the vortex center coordinates and vortex strengths to the cone angle and angle of attack. The vortex center locations calculated using the model are in good agreement with experimental values. The cone normal forces as well as center locations are in good agreement with the vortex cloud method of calculating symmetric flow fields.

First-principle calculations of structural, electronic, optical, elastic and thermal properties of MgXAs2 (X=Si, Ge) compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheddadi, S.; Boubendira, K.; Meradji, H.; Ghemid, S.; Hassan, F. El Haj; Lakel, S.; Khenata, R.

2017-12-01

First-principle calculations on the structural, electronic, optical, elastic and thermal properties of the chalcopyrite MgXAs2 (X=Si, Ge) have been performed within the density functional theory (DFT) using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. The obtained equilibrium structural parameters are in good agreement with the available experimental data and theoretical results. The calculated band structures reveal a direct energy band gap for the interested compounds. The predicted band gaps using the modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) exchange approximation are in fairly good agreement with the experimental data. The optical constants such as the dielectric function, refractive index, and the extinction coefficient are calculated and analysed. The independent elastic parameters namely, C_{11}, C_{12}, C_{13}, C_{33}, C_{44} and C_{66 } are evaluated. The effects of temperature and pressure on some macroscopic properties of MgSiAs2 and MgGeAs2 are predicted using the quasiharmonic Debye model in which the lattice vibrations are taken into account.

Monte Carlo analyses of TRX slightly enriched uranium-H/sub 2/O critical experiments with ENDF/B-IV and related data sets (AWBA Development Program)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hardy, J. Jr.

1977-12-01

Four H/sub 2/O-moderated, slightly-enriched-uranium critical experiments were analyzed by Monte Carlo methods with ENDF/B-IV data. These were simple metal-rod lattices comprising Cross Section Evaluation Working Group thermal reactor benchmarks TRX-1 through TRX-4. Generally good agreement with experiment was obtained for calculated integral parameters: the epi-thermal/thermal ratio of U238 capture (rho/sup 28/) and of U235 fission (delta/sup 25/), the ratio of U238 capture to U235 fission (CR*), and the ratio of U238 fission to U235 fission (delta/sup 28/). Full-core Monte Carlo calculations for two lattices showed good agreement with cell Monte Carlo-plus-multigroup P/sub l/ leakage corrections. Newly measured parameters for themore » low energy resonances of U238 significantly improved rho/sup 28/. In comparison with other CSEWG analyses, the strong correlation between K/sub eff/ and rho/sup 28/ suggests that U238 resonance capture is the major problem encountered in analyzing these lattices.« less

Piloted Evaluation of a UH-60 Mixer Equivalent Turbulence Simulation Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lusardi, Jeff A.; Blanken, Chris L.; Tischeler, Mark B.

2002-01-01

A simulation study of a recently developed hover/low speed Mixer Equivalent Turbulence Simulation (METS) model for the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was conducted in the NASA Ames Research Center Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS). The experiment was a continuation of previous work to develop a simple, but validated, turbulence model for hovering rotorcraft. To validate the METS model, two experienced test pilots replicated precision hover tasks that had been conducted in an instrumented UH-60 helicopter in turbulence. Objective simulation data were collected for comparison with flight test data, and subjective data were collected that included handling qualities ratings and pilot comments for increasing levels of turbulence. Analyses of the simulation results show good analytic agreement between the METS model and flight test data, with favorable pilot perception of the simulated turbulence. Precision hover tasks were also repeated using the more complex rotating-frame SORBET (Simulation Of Rotor Blade Element Turbulence) model to generate turbulence. Comparisons of the empirically derived METS model with the theoretical SORBET model show good agreement providing validation of the more complex blade element method of simulating turbulence.

ELECTRON MICROSCOPE AND X-RAY DIFFRACTION STUDIES ON A HOMOLOGOUS SERIES OF SATURATED PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINES.

PubMed

ELBERS, P F; VERVERGAERT, P H

1965-05-01

Three homologous saturated phosphatidylcholines were studied by electron microscopy after tricomplex fixation. The results are compared with those obtained by x-ray diffraction analysis of the same and some other homologous compounds, in the dry crystalline state and after tricomplex fixation. By electron microscopy alternating dark and light bands are observed which are likely to correspond to phosphatide double layers. X-Ray diffraction reveals the presence of lamellar structures of regular spacing. The layer spacings obtained by both methods are in good agreement. From the electron micrographs the width of the polar parts of the double layers can be derived directly. The width of the carboxylglycerylphosphorylcholine moiety of the layers is found by extrapolating the x-ray diffraction data to zero chain length of the fatty acids. When from this width the contribution of the carboxylglyceryl part of the molecules is subtracted, again we find good agreement with the electron microscope measurements. An attempt has been made to account for the different layer spacings measured in terms of orientation of the molecules within the double layers.

Direct folding simulation of helical proteins using an effective polarizable bond force field.

PubMed

Duan, Lili; Zhu, Tong; Ji, Changge; Zhang, Qinggang; Zhang, John Z H

2017-06-14

We report a direct folding study of seven helical proteins (, Trpcage, , C34, N36, , ) ranging from 17 to 53 amino acids through standard molecular dynamics simulations using a recently developed polarizable force field-Effective Polarizable Bond (EPB) method. The backbone RMSDs, radius of gyrations, native contacts and native helix content are in good agreement with the experimental results. Cluster analysis has also verified that these folded structures with the highest population are in good agreement with their corresponding native structures for these proteins. In addition, the free energy landscape of seven proteins in the two dimensional space comprised of RMSD and radius of gyration proved that these folded structures are indeed of the lowest energy conformations. However, when the corresponding simulations were performed using the standard (nonpolarizable) AMBER force fields, no stable folded structures were observed for these proteins. Comparison of the simulation results based on a polarizable EPB force field and a nonpolarizable AMBER force field clearly demonstrates the importance of polarization in the folding of stable helical structures.

Development and evaluation of a quality score for abstracts

PubMed Central

Timmer, Antje; Sutherland, Lloyd R; Hilsden, Robert J

2003-01-01

Background The evaluation of abstracts for scientific meetings has been shown to suffer from poor inter observer reliability. A measure was developed to assess the formal quality of abstract submissions in a standardized way. Methods Item selection was based on scoring systems for full reports, taking into account published guidelines for structured abstracts. Interrater agreement was examined using a random sample of submissions to the American Gastroenterological Association, stratified for research type (n = 100, 1992–1995). For construct validity, the association of formal quality with acceptance for presentation was examined. A questionnaire to expert reviewers evaluated sensibility items, such as ease of use and comprehensiveness. Results The index comprised 19 items. The summary quality scores showed good interrater agreement (intra class coefficient 0.60 – 0.81). Good abstract quality was associated with abstract acceptance for presentation at the meeting. The instrument was found to be acceptable by expert reviewers. Conclusion A quality index was developed for the evaluation of scientific meeting abstracts which was shown to be reliable, valid and useful. PMID:12581457

A LDA + U study of the photoemission spectra of the double hexagonal close packed phases of Am and Cm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Islam, M. Fhokrul; Ray, Asok K.

2010-05-01

We have investigated the photoemission spectra and other electronic structure properties such as equilibrium volume and bulk modulus of double hexagonal close packed (dhcp) americium and the density of states (DOS) and magnetic properties of dhcp curium using the LDA+U method. Our calculations show that spin polarized americium is energetically favorable but spin degenerate configuration produces experimental quantities significantly better than those calculated using the spin polarized configuration. The density of states calculated using LDA+U with both non-magnetic and spin polarized configurations is compared and the non-magnetic DOS is shown to be in good agreement with experimental photoemission spectra when U=4.5 eV. In spin polarized case, the onsite interaction parameter, U, is observed to increase the splitting between occupied and unoccupied bands by enhancing the Stoner parameter. The DOS of both non-magnetic americium and anti-ferromagnetic curium are shown to be in good agreement with that calculated using dynamical mean field theory for these two heavy actinides. For curium exchange interaction appears to play a dominant role in magnetic stability.

Hybrid-exchange density-functional theory study of the electronic structure of MnV2O4 : Exotic orbital ordering in the cubic structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Wei

2015-05-01

The electronic structures of cubic and tetragonal MnV2O4 have been studied using hybrid-exchange density-functional theory. The computed electronic structure of the tetragonal phase shows an antiferro-orbital ordering on V sites and a ferrimagnetic ground state (the spins on V and Mn are antialigned). These results are in good agreement with the previous theoretical result obtained from the local-density approximation + U methods [S. Sarkar et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 216405 (2009), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.216405]. Moreover, the electronic structure, especially the projected density of states of the cubic phase, has been predicted with good agreement with the recent soft x-ray spectroscopy experiment. Similar to the tetragonal phase, the spins on V and Mn in the cubic structure favor a ferrimagnetic configuration. Most interesting is that the computed charge densities of the spin-carrying orbitals on V in the cubic phase show an exotic orbital ordering, i.e., a ferro-orbital ordering along [110] but an antiferro-orbital ordering along [1 ¯10 ] .

On the eddy-resolving capability of high-order discontinuous Galerkin approaches to implicit LES / under-resolved DNS of Euler turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moura, R. C.; Mengaldo, G.; Peiró, J.; Sherwin, S. J.

2017-02-01

We present estimates of spectral resolution power for under-resolved turbulent Euler flows obtained with high-order discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods. The '1% rule' based on linear dispersion-diffusion analysis introduced by Moura et al. (2015) [10] is here adapted for 3D energy spectra and validated through the inviscid Taylor-Green vortex problem. The 1% rule estimates the wavenumber beyond which numerical diffusion induces an artificial dissipation range on measured energy spectra. As the original rule relies on standard upwinding, different Riemann solvers are tested. Very good agreement is found for solvers which treat the different physical waves in a consistent manner. Relatively good agreement is still found for simpler solvers. The latter however displayed spurious features attributed to the inconsistent treatment of different physical waves. It is argued that, in the limit of vanishing viscosity, such features might have a significant impact on robustness and solution quality. The estimates proposed are regarded as useful guidelines for no-model DG-based simulations of free turbulence at very high Reynolds numbers.

Polydimethylsiloxane rod extraction, a novel technique for the determination of organic micropollutants in water samples by thermal desorption-capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Montero, L; Popp, P; Paschke, A; Pawliszyn, J

2004-01-30

A novel, simple and inexpensive approach to absorptive extraction of organic compounds from environmental samples is presented. It consists of a polydimethylsiloxane rod used as an extraction media, enriched with analytes during shaking, then thermally desorbed and analyzed by GC-MS. Its performance was illustrated and evaluated for the enrichment of sub- to ng/l of selected chlorinated compounds (chlorobenzenes and polychlorinated biphenyls) in water samples. The new approach was compared to the stir bar sorptive extraction performance. A natural ground water sample from Bitterfeld, Germany, was also extracted using both methods, showing good agreement. The proposed approach presented good linearity, high sensitivity, good blank levels and recoveries comparable to stir bars, together with advantages such as simplicity, lower cost and higher feasibility.

Using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and temperature data to generate time-activity classifications for estimating personal exposure in air monitoring studies: an automated method.

PubMed

Nethery, Elizabeth; Mallach, Gary; Rainham, Daniel; Goldberg, Mark S; Wheeler, Amanda J

2014-05-08

Personal exposure studies of air pollution generally use self-reported diaries to capture individuals' time-activity data. Enhancements in the accuracy, size, memory and battery life of personal Global Positioning Systems (GPS) units have allowed for higher resolution tracking of study participants' locations. Improved time-activity classifications combined with personal continuous air pollution sampling can improve assessments of location-related air pollution exposures for health studies. Data was collected using a GPS and personal temperature from 54 children with asthma living in Montreal, Canada, who participated in a 10-day personal air pollution exposure study. A method was developed that incorporated personal temperature data and then matched a participant's position against available spatial data (i.e., road networks) to generate time-activity categories. The diary-based and GPS-generated time-activity categories were compared and combined with continuous personal PM2.5 data to assess the impact of exposure misclassification when using diary-based methods. There was good agreement between the automated method and the diary method; however, the automated method (means: outdoors = 5.1%, indoors other =9.8%) estimated less time spent in some locations compared to the diary method (outdoors = 6.7%, indoors other = 14.4%). Agreement statistics (AC1 = 0.778) suggest 'good' agreement between methods over all location categories. However, location categories (Outdoors and Transit) where less time is spent show greater disagreement: e.g., mean time "Indoors Other" using the time-activity diary was 14.4% compared to 9.8% using the automated method. While mean daily time "In Transit" was relatively consistent between the methods, the mean daily exposure to PM2.5 while "In Transit" was 15.9 μg/m3 using the automated method compared to 6.8 μg/m3 using the daily diary. Mean times spent in different locations as categorized by a GPS-based method were comparable to those from a time-activity diary, but there were differences in estimates of exposure to PM2.5 from the two methods. An automated GPS-based time-activity method will reduce participant burden, potentially providing more accurate and unbiased assessments of location. Combined with continuous air measurements, the higher resolution GPS data could present a different and more accurate picture of personal exposures to air pollution.

A tutorial solution to scattering of radiation in a thin atmosphere bounded below by a diffusely reflecting, absorbing surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buglia, J. J.

1982-01-01

A simple tutorial method, based on a photon tracking procedure, is described to determine the spherical albedo for a thin atmosphere overlying a reflecting surface. This procedure is used to provide a physical structure with which to interpret the more detailed but highly mathematical analyses presented. The final equations are shown to be in good numerical agreement with more exact solutions for thin atmospheres.

Simplified method for numerical modeling of fiber lasers.

PubMed

Shtyrina, O V; Yarutkina, I A; Fedoruk, M P

2014-12-29

A simplified numerical approach to modeling of dissipative dispersion-managed fiber lasers is examined. We present a new numerical iteration algorithm for finding the periodic solutions of the system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations describing the intra-cavity dynamics of the dissipative soliton characteristics in dispersion-managed fiber lasers. We demonstrate that results obtained using simplified model are in good agreement with full numerical modeling based on the corresponding partial differential equations.

Auroral and photoelectron fluxes in cometary ionospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhardwaj, A.; Haider, S. A.; Spinghal, R. P.

1990-05-01

The analytical yield spectrum method has been used to ascertain photoelectron and auroral electron fluxes in cometary ionospheres, with a view to determining the effects of cometocentric distances, solar zenith angle, and solar minimum and maximum conditions. Auroral electron fluxes are thus calculated for monoenergetic and observed primary electron spectra; auroral electrons are found to make a larger contribution to the observed electron spectrum than EUV-generated photoelectrons. Good agreement is established with extant theoretical works.

[Affinity between CrIII and purified DNA, studied by competition with an intercalating agent: ethidium bromide].

PubMed

Vecchio, D; Balbi, C; Russo, P; Parodi, S; Santi, L

1981-05-30

The affinity between CrIII and purified calf- thymus DNA was studied at neutral pH by competition with ethidium bromide. Competition results indicated an affinity between CrIII and DNA of the order of 10(5) 1/mole. These results are in good agreement with previous results CrIII - DNA affinity was studied by the independent method of equilibrium dialysis and chromium dosage by atomic spectrometry.

Energy levels and life times calculations of Mo XXXI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wajid, Abdul; Jabeen, S.; Husain, Abid

2018-05-01

Fine-structure energy levels belonging to 2p63s2, 2p63s3p, 2p63p2 and 2p63p3d for Mo XXXI have been calculated using the multi-configuration Dirac-Fock method including Quantum electrodynamics (QED) corrections. Most of our calculations of energy levels show good agreement with experimental data available on NIST. Lifetimes for excited levels have also been calculated.

Melting curve of metals Cu, Ag and Au under pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tam, Pham Dinh; Hoc, Nguyen Quang; Tinh, Bui Duc; Tan, Pham Duy

2016-01-01

In this paper, the dependence of the melting temperature of metals Cu, Ag and Au under pressure in the interval from 0 kbar to 40 kbar is studied by the statistical moment method (SMM). This dependence has the form of near linearity and the calculated slopes of melting curve are 3.9 for Cu, 5.7 for Ag and 6 for Au. These results are in good agreement with the experimental data.

The Effect of Asymmetric Mechanical and Thermal Loading on Membrane Wrinkling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blandino, Joseph R.; Johnston, John D.; Miles, Jonathan J.; Dharamsi, Urmil K.; Brodeur, Stephen J. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Large, tensioned membranes are being considered for future gossamer spacecraft systems. Examples include sunshields, solar sails, and membrane optics. In many. cases a relatively flat membrane with minimal wrinkling is desired. Developing methods to predict and measure membrane wrinkling is important to the future development of gossamer spacecraft. Numerical and experimental data are presented for a 0.5 m square, tensioned membrane. The membrane is subjected to symmetric and asymmetric mechanical loading. Data are also presented for a symmetrically loaded membrane subjected to spot heating in the center. The numerical model shows good agreement with the experiment for wrinkle angle data. There is. also reasonable agreement for the wrinkled area for both isothermal and elevated temperature tests.

19 CFR 10.864 - Declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Import... tariff treatment specified for those goods in the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement; and This...

19 CFR 10.864 - Declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Import... tariff treatment specified for those goods in the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement; and This...

19 CFR 10.864 - Declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Import... tariff treatment specified for those goods in the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement; and This...

19 CFR 10.864 - Declaration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... ARTICLES CONDITIONALLY FREE, SUBJECT TO A REDUCED RATE, ETC. United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement Import... tariff treatment specified for those goods in the United States-Oman Free Trade Agreement; and This...

Determination of the transmission coefficients for quantum structures using FDTD method.

PubMed

Peng, Yangyang; Wang, Xiaoying; Sui, Wenquan

2011-12-01

The purpose of this work is to develop a simple method to incorporate quantum effect in traditional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulators. Witch could make it possible to co-simulate systems include quantum structures and traditional components. In this paper, tunneling transmission coefficient is calculated by solving time-domain Schrödinger equation with a developed FDTD technique, called FDTD-S method. To validate the feasibility of the method, a simple resonant tunneling diode (RTD) structure model has been simulated using the proposed method. The good agreement between the numerical and analytical results proves its accuracy. The effectness and accuracy of this approach makes it a potential method for analysis and design of hybrid systems includes quantum structures and traditional components.

SbCl3-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of 4,4′-diaminotriarylmethanes under solvent-free conditions: Synthesis, characterization, and DFT studies

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Summary A simple, efficient, and mild procedure for a solvent-free one-step synthesis of various 4,4′-diaminotriarylmethane derivatives in the presence of antimony trichloride as catalyst is described. Triarylmethane derivatives were prepared in good to excellent yields and characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic techniques. The structural and vibrational analysis were investigated by performing theoretical calculations at the HF and DFT levels of theory by standard 6-31G*, 6-31G*/B3LYP, and B3LYP/cc-pVDZ methods and good agreement was obtained between experimental and theoretical results. PMID:21445373

Subsonic and Supersonic Jet Noise Calculations Using PSE and DNS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balakumar, P.; Owis, Farouk

1999-01-01

Noise radiated from a supersonic jet is computed using the Parabolized Stability Equations (PSE) method. The evolution of the instability waves inside the jet is computed using the PSE method and the noise radiated to the far field from these waves is calculated by solving the wave equation using the Fourier transform method. We performed the computations for a cold supersonic jet of Mach number 2.1 which is excited by disturbances with Strouhal numbers St=.2 and .4 and the azimuthal wavenumber m=l. Good agreement in the sound pressure level are observed between the computed and the measured (Troutt and McLaughlin 1980) results.

A new approach to modeling the effective thermal conductivity of ceramics porous media using a generalized self-consistent method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edrisi, Siroos; Bidhendi, Norollah Kasiri; Haghighi, Maryam

2017-01-01

Effective thermal conductivity of the porous media was modeled based on a self-consistent method. This model estimates the heat transfer between insulator surface and air cavities accurately. In this method, the pore size and shape, the temperature gradient and other thermodynamic properties of the fluid was taken into consideration. The results are validated by experimental data for fire bricks used in cracking furnaces at the olefin plant of Maroon petrochemical complexes well as data published for polyurethane foam (synthetic polymers) IPTM and IPM. The model predictions present a good agreement against experimental data with thermal conductivity deviating <1 %.

Simultaneous determination of dextromethorphan HBr and bromhexine HCl in tablets by first-derivative spectrophotometry.

PubMed

Tantishaiyakul, V; Poeaknapo, C; Sribun, P; Sirisuppanon, K

1998-06-01

A rapid, simple and direct assay procedure based on first-derivative spectrophotometry, using a zero-crossing and peak-to-base measurement at 234 and 324 nm, respectively, has been developed for the specific determination of dextromethorphan HBr and bromhexine HCl in tablets. Calibration graphs were linear with the correlation coefficients of 0.9999 for both analytes. The limit of detections were 0.033 and 0.103 microgram ml-1 for dextromethorphan HBr and bromhexine HCl, respectively. A HPLC method has been developed as the reference method. The results obtained by the first-derivative spectrophotometry were in good agreement with those found by the HPLC method.

Application of microwave digestion to the analysis of peat

USGS Publications Warehouse

Papp, C.S.E.; Fischer, L.B.

1987-01-01

A microwave digestion technique for the dissolution of peat is described and compared with a dry ashing method and a nitric - perchloric - hydrofluoric acid wet digestion. Peat samples with different organic matter contents were used and Ca, Mg, Fe, AI, Na, K, Mn, Zn, Cu and Li were determined by atomic absoprtion spectrometry. The results obtained using the three dissolution techniques were in good agreement. The microwave method has the advantage of digesting the samples in less than 2 h and uses less acid than the conventional wet digestion method. Keeping the volume of the acid mixture as small as possible minimises contamination and leads to lower blank values.

Blade loss transient dynamic analysis of turbomachinery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stallone, M. J.; Gallardo, V.; Storace, A. F.; Bach, L. J.; Black, G.; Gaffney, E. F.

1982-01-01

This paper reports on work completed to develop an analytical method for predicting the transient non-linear response of a complete aircraft engine system due to the loss of a fan blade, and to validate the analysis by comparing the results against actual blade loss test data. The solution, which is based on the component element method, accounts for rotor-to-casing rubs, high damping and rapid deceleration rates associated with the blade loss event. A comparison of test results and predicted response show good agreement except for an initial overshoot spike not observed in test. The method is effective for analysis of large systems.

In Search of the Reason for the Breathing Effect of MIL53 Metal-Organic Framework: An ab Initio Multiconfigurational Study.

PubMed

Weser, Oskar; Veryazov, Valera

2017-01-01

Multiconfigurational methods are applied to study electronic properties and structural changes in the highly flexible metal-organic framework MIL53(Cr). Via calculated bending potentials of angles, that change the most during phase transition, it is verified that the high flexibility of this material is not a question about special electronic properties in the coordination chemistry, but about overall linking of the framework. The complex posseses a demanding electronic structure with delocalized spin density, antifferomagnetic coupling and high multi-state character requiring multiconfigurational methods. Calculated properties are in good agreement with known experimental values confirming our chosen methods.

Analysis of a boron-carbide-drum-controlled critical reactor experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayo, W. T.

1972-01-01

In order to validate methods and cross sections used in the neutronic design of compact fast-spectrum reactors for generating electric power in space, an analysis of a boron-carbide-drum-controlled critical reactor was made. For this reactor the transport analysis gave generally satisfactory results. The calculated multiplication factor for the most detailed calculation was only 0.7-percent Delta k too high. Calculated reactivity worth of the control drums was $11.61 compared to measurements of $11.58 by the inverse kinetics methods and $11.98 by the inverse counting method. Calculated radial and axial power distributions were in good agreement with experiment.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu Shioumin; Kruijs, Robbert van de; Zoethout, Erwin

Ion sputtering yields for Ru, Mo, and Si under Ar{sup +} ion bombardment in the near-threshold energy range have been studied using an in situ weight-loss method with a Kaufman ion source, Faraday cup, and quartz crystal microbalance. The results are compared to theoretical models. The accuracy of the in situ weight-loss method was verified by thickness-decrease measurements using grazing incidence x-ray reflectometry, and results from both methods are in good agreement. These results provide accurate data sets for theoretical modeling in the near-threshold sputter regime and are of relevance for (optical) surfaces exposed to plasmas, as, for instance, inmore » extreme ultraviolet photolithography.« less

A stochastic simulation method for the assessment of resistive random access memory retention reliability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berco, Dan, E-mail: danny.barkan@gmail.com; Tseng, Tseung-Yuen, E-mail: tseng@cc.nctu.edu.tw

This study presents an evaluation method for resistive random access memory retention reliability based on the Metropolis Monte Carlo algorithm and Gibbs free energy. The method, which does not rely on a time evolution, provides an extremely efficient way to compare the relative retention properties of metal-insulator-metal structures. It requires a small number of iterations and may be used for statistical analysis. The presented approach is used to compare the relative robustness of a single layer ZrO{sub 2} device with a double layer ZnO/ZrO{sub 2} one, and obtain results which are in good agreement with experimental data.

On the quasi-steady aerodynamics of normal hovering flight part II: model implementation and evaluation

PubMed Central

Nabawy, Mostafa R. A.; Crowther, William J.

2014-01-01

This paper introduces a generic, transparent and compact model for the evaluation of the aerodynamic performance of insect-like flapping wings in hovering flight. The model is generic in that it can be applied to wings of arbitrary morphology and kinematics without the use of experimental data, is transparent in that the aerodynamic components of the model are linked directly to morphology and kinematics via physical relationships and is compact in the sense that it can be efficiently evaluated for use within a design optimization environment. An important aspect of the model is the method by which translational force coefficients for the aerodynamic model are obtained from first principles; however important insights are also provided for the morphological and kinematic treatments that improve the clarity and efficiency of the overall model. A thorough analysis of the leading-edge suction analogy model is provided and comparison of the aerodynamic model with results from application of the leading-edge suction analogy shows good agreement. The full model is evaluated against experimental data for revolving wings and good agreement is obtained for lift and drag up to 90° incidence. Comparison of the model output with data from computational fluid dynamics studies on a range of different insect species also shows good agreement with predicted weight support ratio and specific power. The validated model is used to evaluate the relative impact of different contributors to the induced power factor for the hoverfly and fruitfly. It is shown that the assumption of an ideal induced power factor (k = 1) for a normal hovering hoverfly leads to a 23% overestimation of the generated force owing to flapping. PMID:24554578

Dynamics of a class of vortex rings. Ph.D. Thesis - Stanford Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shariff, Karim; Leonard, Anthony; Ferziger, Joel H.

1989-01-01

The contour dynamics method is extended to vortex rings with vorticity varying linearly from the symmetry axis. An elliptic core model is also developed to explain some of the basic physics. Passage and collisions of two identical rings are studied focusing on core deformation, sound generation and stirring of fluid elements. With respect to core deformation, not only the strain rate but how rapidly it varies is important and accounts for greater susceptibility to vortex tearing than in two dimensions. For slow strain, as a passage interaction is completed and the strain relaxes, the cores return to their original shape while permanent deformations remain for rapidly varying strain. For collisions, if the strain changes slowly the core shapes migrate through a known family of two-dimensional steady vortex pairs up to the limiting member of the family. Thereafter energy conservation does not allow the cores to maintain a constant shape. For rapidly varying strain, core deformation is severe and a head-tail structure in good agreement with experiments is formed. With respect to sound generation, good agreement with the measured acoustic signal for colliding rings is obtained and a feature previously thought to be due to viscous effects is shown to be an effect of inviscid core deformation alone. For passage interactions, a component of high frequency is present. Evidence for the importance of this noise source in jet noise spectra is provided. Finally, processes of fluid engulfment and rejection for an unsteady vortex ring are studied using the stable and unstable manifolds. The unstable manifold shows excellent agreement with flow visualization experiments for leapfrogging rings suggesting that it may be a good tool for numerical flow visualization in other time periodic flows.

Emissions of PCDD and PCDF from combustion of forest fuels and sugarcane: a comparison between field measurements and simulations in a laboratory burn facility.

PubMed

Black, R R; Meyer, C P; Touati, A; Gullett, B K; Fiedler, H; Mueller, J F

2011-05-01

Release of PCDD and PCDF from biomass combustion such as forest and agricultural crop fires has been nominated as an important source for these chemicals despite minimal characterisation. Available emission factors that have been experimentally determined in laboratory and field experiments vary by several orders of magnitude from <0.5 μg TEQ (t fuel consumed)(-1) to >100 μg TEQ (t fuel consumed)(-1). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of experimental methods on the emission factor. A portable field sampler was used to measure PCDD/PCDF emissions from forest fires and the same fuel when burnt over a brick hearth to eliminate potential soil effects. A laboratory burn facility was used to sample emissions from the same fuels. There was very good agreement in emission factors to air (EF(Air)) for forest fuel (Duke Forest, NC) of 0.52 (range: 0.40-0.79), 0.59 (range: 0.18-1.2) and 0.75 (range: 0.27-1.2) μg TEQ(WHO2005) (t fuel consumed)(-1) for the in-field, over a brick hearth, and burn facility experiments, respectively. Similarly, experiments with sugarcane showed very good agreement with EF(Air) of 1.1 (range: 0.40-2.2), 1.5 (range: 0.84-2.2) and 1.7 (range: 0.34-4.4) μg TEQ (t fuel consumed)(-1) for in-field, over a brick hearth, open field and burn facility experiments respectively. Field sampling and laboratory simulations were in good agreement, and no significant changes in emissions of PCDD/PCDF could be attributed to fuel storage and transport to laboratory test facilities. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the quasi-steady aerodynamics of normal hovering flight part II: model implementation and evaluation.

PubMed

Nabawy, Mostafa R A; Crowther, William J

2014-05-06

This paper introduces a generic, transparent and compact model for the evaluation of the aerodynamic performance of insect-like flapping wings in hovering flight. The model is generic in that it can be applied to wings of arbitrary morphology and kinematics without the use of experimental data, is transparent in that the aerodynamic components of the model are linked directly to morphology and kinematics via physical relationships and is compact in the sense that it can be efficiently evaluated for use within a design optimization environment. An important aspect of the model is the method by which translational force coefficients for the aerodynamic model are obtained from first principles; however important insights are also provided for the morphological and kinematic treatments that improve the clarity and efficiency of the overall model. A thorough analysis of the leading-edge suction analogy model is provided and comparison of the aerodynamic model with results from application of the leading-edge suction analogy shows good agreement. The full model is evaluated against experimental data for revolving wings and good agreement is obtained for lift and drag up to 90° incidence. Comparison of the model output with data from computational fluid dynamics studies on a range of different insect species also shows good agreement with predicted weight support ratio and specific power. The validated model is used to evaluate the relative impact of different contributors to the induced power factor for the hoverfly and fruitfly. It is shown that the assumption of an ideal induced power factor (k = 1) for a normal hovering hoverfly leads to a 23% overestimation of the generated force owing to flapping.

New Method of Filling of High-Temperature Fixed-Point Cells Based on Metal-Carbon Eutectics/Peritectics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khlevnoy, B. B.; Grigoryeva, I. A.; Ibragimov, N. A.

2011-08-01

A new method of filling of high-temperature fixed-point cells based on metal-carbon eutectics and peritectics is suggested and tested. In this method a metal and carbon powder mixture is introduced not directly into the crucible, but into an additional container located just above the crucible. The mixture melts inside the container, and the already molten eutectic drops through a small hole in the bottom of the container and fills the crucible drop by drop. The method can be used to obtain a uniform ingot without porous or foundry cavities, to minimize the risk of contamination, and to avoid some other disadvantages. The method was applied to fabricate Re-C and WC-C cells using 5N purity materials. The cells demonstrated a good plateau shape with melting ranges of 0.2 K and 80 mK for Re-C and WC-C, respectively. The Re-C cell was compared with a cell built at NMIJ and showed good agreement with a difference of melting temperatures of only 45 mK.

[Determination of 27 elements in Maca nationality's medicine by microwave digestion ICP-MS].

PubMed

Yu, Gui-fang; Zhong, Hai-jie; Hu, Jun-hua; Wang, Jing; Huang, Wen-zhe; Wang, Zhen-zhong; Xiao, Wei

2015-12-01

An analysis method has been established to test 27 elements (Li, Be, B, Mg, Al, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, La, Hg, Pb, Bi) in Maca nationality's medicine with microwave digestion-ICP-MS. Sample solutions were analyzed by ICP-MS after microwave digestion, and the contents of elements were calculated according to their calibration curves, and internal standard method was adopted to reduce matrix effect and other interference effects. The experimental results showed that the linear relations of all the elements were very good; the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.9994-1.0000 (Hg was 0.9982) ; the limits of detection were 0.003-2.662 microg x L(-1); the relative standard deviations for all elements of reproducibility were lower than 5% (except the individual elements); the recovery rate were 78.5%-123.7% with RSD lower than 5% ( except the individual elements). The analytical results of standard material showed acceptable agreement with the certified values. This method was applicable to determinate the contents of multi-elements in Maca which had a high sensitivity, good specificity and good repeatability, and provide basis for the quality control of Maca.

Comparison of the Experimental and Theoretical Distribution of Lift on a Slender Inclined Body of Revolution at M = 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkins, Edward W; Kuehn, Donald M

1953-01-01

Pressure distributions and force characteristics have been determined for a body of revolution consisting of a fineness ratio 5.75, circular-arc, ogival nose tangent to a cylindrical afterbody for an angle-of-attack range of 0 degrees to 35.5 degrees. The free-stream Mach number was 1.98 and the free-stream Reynolds number was approximately 0.5 x 10 sup 6, based on body diameter. Comparison of the theoretical and experimental pressure distributions shows that for zero lift, either slender-body theory or higher-order theories yield results which are in good agreement with experiment. For the lifting case, good agreement with theory is found only for low angles of attack and for the region in which the body cross-sectional area is increasing in the downstream direction. Because of the effects of cross-flow separation and the effects of compressibility due to the high cross-flow Mach numbers at large angles of attack, the experimental pressure distributions differ from those predicted by potential theory. Although the flow about the inclined body was, in general, similar to that assumed as the basis for Allen's method of estimating the forces resulting from viscous effects (NACA RM A91I26), the distribution of the forces was significantly different from that assumed. Nevertheless, the lift and pitching-moment characteristics were in fair agreement with the estimated value.

[Identification of adverse events in hospitalised influenza patients].

PubMed

Aranaz-Andrés, J M; Gea-Velázquez de Castro, M T; Jiménez-Pericás, F; Balbuena-Segura, A I; Meyer-García, M C; López-Fresneña, N; Miralles-Bueno, J J; Obón-Azuara, B; Moliner-Lahoz, J; Aibar-Remón, C

2015-01-01

To test the inter-observer agreement in identifying adverse events (AE) in patients hospitalized by flu and undergoing precautionary isolation measures. Historical cohort study, 50 patients undergoing isolation measures due to flu, and 50 patients without any isolation measures. The AE incidence ranges from 10 to 26% depending on the observer (26% [95%CI: 17.4%-34.60%], 10% [95%CI: 4.12%-15.88%], and 23% [95%CI: 14.75%-31.25%]). It was always lower in the cohort undergoing the isolation measures. This difference is statistically significant when the accurate definition of a case is applied. The agreement as regards the screening was good (higher than 76%; Kappa index between 0.29 and 0.81). The agreement as regards the accurate identification of AE related to care was lower (from 50 to 93.3%, Kappa index from 0.20 to 0.70). Before performing an epidemiological study on AE, interobserver concordance must be analyzed to improve the accuracy of the results and the validity of the study. Studies have different levels of reliability. Kappa index shows high levels for the screening guide, but not for the identification of AE. Without a good methodology the results achieved, and thus the decisions made from them, cannot be guaranteed. Researchers have to be sure of the method used, which should be as close as possible to the optimal achievable. Copyright © 2014 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Fast analytical scatter estimation using graphics processing units.

PubMed

Ingleby, Harry; Lippuner, Jonas; Rickey, Daniel W; Li, Yue; Elbakri, Idris

2015-01-01

To develop a fast patient-specific analytical estimator of first-order Compton and Rayleigh scatter in cone-beam computed tomography, implemented using graphics processing units. The authors developed an analytical estimator for first-order Compton and Rayleigh scatter in a cone-beam computed tomography geometry. The estimator was coded using NVIDIA's CUDA environment for execution on an NVIDIA graphics processing unit. Performance of the analytical estimator was validated by comparison with high-count Monte Carlo simulations for two different numerical phantoms. Monoenergetic analytical simulations were compared with monoenergetic and polyenergetic Monte Carlo simulations. Analytical and Monte Carlo scatter estimates were compared both qualitatively, from visual inspection of images and profiles, and quantitatively, using a scaled root-mean-square difference metric. Reconstruction of simulated cone-beam projection data of an anthropomorphic breast phantom illustrated the potential of this method as a component of a scatter correction algorithm. The monoenergetic analytical and Monte Carlo scatter estimates showed very good agreement. The monoenergetic analytical estimates showed good agreement for Compton single scatter and reasonable agreement for Rayleigh single scatter when compared with polyenergetic Monte Carlo estimates. For a voxelized phantom with dimensions 128 × 128 × 128 voxels and a detector with 256 × 256 pixels, the analytical estimator required 669 seconds for a single projection, using a single NVIDIA 9800 GX2 video card. Accounting for first order scatter in cone-beam image reconstruction improves the contrast to noise ratio of the reconstructed images. The analytical scatter estimator, implemented using graphics processing units, provides rapid and accurate estimates of single scatter and with further acceleration and a method to account for multiple scatter may be useful for practical scatter correction schemes.

Kinetically reduced local Navier-Stokes equations for simulation of incompressible viscous flows.

PubMed

Borok, S; Ansumali, S; Karlin, I V

2007-12-01

Recently, another approach to study incompressible fluid flow was suggested [S. Ansumali, I. Karlin, and H. Ottinger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 080602 (2005)]-the kinetically reduced local Navier-Stokes (KRLNS) equations. We consider a simplified two-dimensional KRLNS system and compare it with Chorin's artificial compressibility method. A comparison of the two methods for steady state computation of the flow in a lid-driven cavity at various Reynolds numbers shows that the results from both methods are in good agreement with each other. However, in the transient flow, it is demonstrated that the KRLNS equations correctly describe the time evolution of the velocity and of the pressure, unlike the artificial compressibility method.

Computation of Pressurized Gas Bearings Using CE/SE Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cioc, Sorin; Dimofte, Florin; Keith, Theo G., Jr.; Fleming, David P.

2003-01-01

The space-time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE) method is extended to compute compressible viscous flows in pressurized thin fluid films. This numerical scheme has previously been used successfully to solve a wide variety of compressible flow problems, including flows with large and small discontinuities. In this paper, the method is applied to calculate the pressure distribution in a hybrid gas journal bearing. The formulation of the problem is presented, including the modeling of the feeding system. the numerical results obtained are compared with experimental data. Good agreement between the computed results and the test data were obtained, and thus validate the CE/SE method to solve such problems.

Galilean-invariant algorithm coupling immersed moving boundary conditions and Lees-Edwards boundary conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Guofeng; Wang, Limin; Wang, Xiaowei; Ge, Wei

2011-12-01

Many investigators have coupled the Lees-Edwards boundary conditions (LEBCs) and suspension methods in the framework of the lattice Boltzmann method to study the pure bulk properties of particle-fluid suspensions. However, these suspension methods are all link-based and are more or less exposed to the disadvantages of violating Galilean invariance. In this paper, we have coupled LEBCs with a node-based suspension method, which is demonstrated to be Galilean invariant in benchmark simulations. We use the coupled algorithm to predict the viscosity of a particle-fluid suspension at very low Reynolds number, and the simulation results are in good agreement with the semiempirical Krieger-Dougherty formula.

Analytical solutions for determining residual stresses in two-dimensional domains using the contour method

PubMed Central

Kartal, Mehmet E.

2013-01-01

The contour method is one of the most prevalent destructive techniques for residual stress measurement. Up to now, the method has involved the use of the finite-element (FE) method to determine the residual stresses from the experimental measurements. This paper presents analytical solutions, obtained for a semi-infinite strip and a finite rectangle, which can be used to calculate the residual stresses directly from the measured data; thereby, eliminating the need for an FE approach. The technique is then used to determine the residual stresses in a variable-polarity plasma-arc welded plate and the results show good agreement with independent neutron diffraction measurements. PMID:24204187